The Prophecy of Colors
by PrincessVictory
Summary: When a ball of light envelopes three Trainers (Red, Blue, and Green) of the manga world and spirits them away into the anime Pokemon World, they not only have to focus on finding a way back home, but also on finding each other and saving the world they're in before time runs out! In a race against time itself, can this trio of light fulfill the prophecy they were destined for?
1. The Beginning of the End

**A/N: Hey, you guys! Sarah here with my latest fic! It's got Pokeshipping in it (of course!), but at least this time the story doesn't revolve around it. Anyway, it's also gonna have Contestshipping, some MangaPokeshipping, OldRivalshipping, and plenty of LeafGreenshipping!;) I hope you enjoy, and also, as a side note, this takes place in the middle of the Red, Green, and Blue chapter of Pokemon Adventures (though you don't have to read the manga to understand this, really), and it starts with the departure of Ash and Brock from Sinnoh in the Anime. :) Anyways, I'd appreciate any comments or criticism you'd have, so don't forget to R&R. :D**

**P.S.: For the sake of having two consistent trios, Leaf is considered Green's counterpart in the anime world. ^.^**

A trio of colors to create white  
Must be in darkness, to obtain light  
Apart they are unsteady, alone they are weak  
Only banded together shall they find what they seek  
An allotted amount of time, an entire world to save,  
Trials and temptations, a testing of their faiths  
When it seems all hope is lost, another trio shall arise  
Poké Balls in hand and a fire in their eyes  
By themselves they are nothing, but together they are strong  
Turning darkness into light, and ridding the world of its wrong  
Hope is not far from where this trio is found  
For where victory is celebrated, peace and love abound.

**Chapter 1: The Beginning of the End**

"Now… Get rid of the fakes… And put in the real ones!" Green exclaimed, replacing the two fake Boulder and Cascade badges she'd given Red with the originals. The energy amplifier emitted a bright white ball of light, responding to the power of the Gym Badges. "It's working! Finally! The new Pokémon is mine!"

_But wait…? _Something wasn't right about the machine. "Ouch!" she wailed, dropping the device. It was going berserk, discharging sparks of electricity and spinning wildly out of control. "What? What's going on?!"

The light was growing bigger and brighter with every second, sure to envelope the entire room in less than a minute. This _wasn't_ supposed to happen. "Red!" she screamed, trying to grab the raven-haired boy's attention. "Get out of here! Something's wrong with this thing!"

Red averted his eyes in the direction of her cry, just to find the growing ball of light had enveloped her entire body, and was now heading straight for him. He turned to face Sabrina, who looked just as baffled as he did. _This isn't part of the plan,_ she thought, her violet eyes growing wider with every inch closer it got. "Zapdos! Articuno! Moltres! Bust a hole in the wall and retreat!" she exclaimed, pointing at the part of the room that hadn't been swallowed by the light yet.

Doing as they were told, the trio of birds took off for outside, Sabrina following closely behind. "You should leave too if you know what's good for you, kid!" she suggested, though she couldn't say she cared less what happened to the raven-haired brat.

"But what about Green?" he wondered aloud, turning toward the illumination and slowly edging away from it.

"Red! Come on!" Blue called from atop his Charizard as he appeared outside the hole the legendary birds had created. He just released his grandfather and all the other Pallet Town citizens, and was waiting for Red and Green to come on so they could get out of there.

"Blue!" he exclaimed. "But what about Green?!" What was going to happen to her?

"What _about_ Green, Red? Isn't she with you?" Red frantically shook his head and pointed at the incandescence that was just about to close in on him as well.

"The light, it swallowed her up. We have to save her, Blue!"

Blue sighed. "We can't, Red. We don't know what it's done with her."

"But we have to _try!_ Come on, Pika! We're going in after her!" Pika nodded vigorously, feeling just as passionate as its trainer did about the whole thing. Before Blue could react, Red leapt forward, fully expecting to find his footing in a matter of milliseconds, but instead dropping farther and farther down into the abyss of light.

A glow enveloped his entire body, and he felt lighter, almost weightless, floating in limbo between two worlds. He had no idea where he was headed, but hoped desperately that wherever he ended up he'd be close to Green. _I wonder if Blue followed us or not…_ He shook his head, and then realized he was missing something. Er, some_one._

"Pika!" he screamed. "Pika! Where'd you go?!" Try as he might, he couldn't see even an inch ahead of him, blinded by the outstanding light he'd thrown himself into.

"Pi pi pi!" the little mouse called, his voice growing more distant the farther they fell.

"Pika!" But it was no use. "I should've returned you to your Poké Ball when I had the chance…" he muttered, looking down in dismay. "I promise I'll find you Pika! If it's the last thing I do!"

Then he started feeling faint, the radiant beams closing in around him. _What's going on? What's happening to me?_ He started fighting against the sudden vertigo, flailing his arms and legs wildly as the glow grew brighter and brighter, swallowing him whole. He kept trying in vain to fight back, but within minutes couldn't find the strength to continue. He was just so _tired_, and the light around him was so _welcoming_, so _bright, _so _warm._

_Just… hold on… a little bit longer. _But he couldn't fight it any longer. Giving in to the beautiful incandescence, he let his eyes flutter shut and almost immediately blacked out, his last thoughts being of Misty Waterflower, one of the only people he knew he'd miss seeing while he was gone.

* * *

_Where am I?_ the brunette wondered, flinching at the sunlight as it scorched her eyesight. When her vision finally adjusted, she took a glance around. Trees dotted the landscape, bushes and flowers of all sorts surrounding the remote area. It almost looked like she was in the middle of nowhere, but she knew where she'd landed. And she didn't like it one bit.

She had to get out of there, and fast. "Go, Jiggly!" she exclaimed, tossing her Poké Ball in the air. "Fly us out of here!"

The Jigglypuff did as she was told, allowing Green to grab her foot before taking off. She'd recognized the place as well, and didn't much fathom staying any longer than they had to. "Jiggly? Puff puff?"

"Yeah, 'course I'm fine, Jiggly! And, well… I'm not sure where we should go actually. I know we're in Hoenn, but… Wait, is that who I think it is?" She narrowed her eyes and held her arm up, blocking out the sunlight so she could get a better view of the person. "Blue!"

The spiky-haired boy looked up, a confused expression on his face. "Leaf? What're you doing all the way up there?"

_Leaf? Who's Leaf? _"Blue, it's me! Green!" she called. "Jiggly! Land down there!"

"Puff!" the Pokémon replied, diving full speed toward the ground, but Green soon realized she was aiming for a head-on collision with the boy.

"Blue, watch out!" But it was too late. _Wham!_ She hit the boy full force, knocking him flat on his back and landing somewhat askew on top of him. "Eh, sorry about that," she muttered, lifting her face up to meet his dark-eyed gaze and smiling.

"Ngh…"

"That sure was a doozy, Jiggly! Thanks for breaking my fall, Blue!" She giggled, hoping her charm would dissipate the boy's growing agitation at her. The boy sighed.

"Would you _please_ get off of me?" he asked, staring up at her irritably. "And my name isn't Blue!"

"Oh, yeah, uh, sorry." She peeled herself away from him and rose to her feet, brushing the dirt from her little black dress. The boy quickly did the same. "Wait, you're not Blue?" Come to think of it, he was dressed kind of odd compared to what she was used to seeing. He was wearing a white lab coat, and looked at least a few years younger than the brunet boy she knew. His hair was also more an auburn shade than Blue's.

The boy shook his head. "Sorry, you must be mistaken. My name's Gary."

Green stared at him dolefully. "And clearly you're not Leaf," he mumbled, running his fingers through his spiky auburn locks. "But you sure do look like her."

"Who's Leaf?" Green wondered, a thoughtful expression on her face. "She your girlfriend?"

Gary grunted. "As if. She'd kill you if you even _thought _something like that around her. She's Gramps's crazy know-it-all lab assistant back home in Pallet." Green narrowed her eyes. She was from Pallet, yet she'd never met this boy in her entire life. True, she'd grown up in Hoenn, but still... She should at least recognize his name. Right?

"You're from Pallet Town?" she asked incredulously, her eyes growing wider in disbelief.

Gary nodded. "Uh, yeah. Gramps is the professor there."

_Wait, Professor Oak's his grandfather? That can't be right. Blue's his grandson, not _this_ kid._ Green shook her head in frustration. It wasn't adding up.

"You can't be. I'm from Pallet Town! And Blue's grandpa is Professor Oak!" she exclaimed, irritated by this boy's ignorance.

"No, Lea—I mean, Green, I'm the professor's grandson. I think I'd know if I was related to some Blue kid. I'm his only grandkid."

Green let out a whine of exasperation. "But you're not!" she wailed, dropping to her knees and holding her hands over her ears. "Quit trying to mess with my head, Blue! I know it's you! You can stop pretending now!" She started to cry, but quickly averted her gaze so the auburn-haired boy wouldn't notice.

Gary sighed. There was just no getting through to this girl. "Green, calm down," he pleaded, placing his hands on her arms. "I'm not sure what's going on, but Gramps might know. We'll get this figured out."

"Why should I trust you? How do I know you're not trying to trick me, Blue?" she asked, raising her eyes defiantly to meet his and jerking away from his touch.

Gary groaned. "For the second time, I'm not Blue, Green. I'm Gary. And why should you? Well, you kind of don't have much of a choice. If you wanna kneel in the middle of this road for the rest of the day, be my guest. Otherwise, take my hand and come with me," he answered softly, offering to help her up.

_Well, he is my only lead right now… Maybe, with his help, I can find out how that ball of light transported me all the way to Hoenn like it did._

"Fine, but don't try any funny business, or I can promise you you'll regret it," Green warned him, taking the proffered hand and hoisting herself up.

Gary snickered. "Tch. As stubborn as Leaf too." Green let out a huff of annoyance. She hated being compared to people she didn't know. "We'll just head on to Lavaridge and call him at the Pokémon Center."

"But Blu—I mean, Gary, wouldn't it be easier to backtrack to Mauville? It's definitely closer since we're not even near the Desert Ruins yet," she told him, gesturing back at her Jigglypuff to follow them.

"Well, yeah…" Gary trailed off, scratching his head. "But I was sent to Lavaridge by Professor Birch to collect a Wynaut egg from an old friend of his."

"Oh, I see." Green couldn't help but notice that Gary still hadn't let go of her hand. She wouldn't admit it to him, but she kind of liked how warm and soft it felt, as opposed to some boys' hands she'd held, particularly Red's when she would tease him on their little misadventures. "Guess that means we should get going! Don't wanna keep the professor waiting," she added, smirking.

Dropping his hand, she took off in the direction of Lavaridge, her Jigglypuff following closely behind.

"Wait up, Green!" Gary called, chasing after the strange brunette.

"Catch me if you can, cutie!" she exclaimed, winking back at him and holding up a peace sign. Gary groaned. She might look like Leaf, but they certainly didn't share the same personality.

Still… It made him more curious about her. Just who was this Green girl, and why did she seemingly appear out of nowhere, falling out of the sky like an uncoordinated Pidgey?

So many questions, and Gary could only hope that his grandfather had the answers.

* * *

"Hey! You! Kid up there!" a voice called from below. Red's eyes fluttered open, searching for a face to put with that voice. That strangely familiar voice. "How'd you get stuck in that tree?" He finally found her.

"Misty!" he exclaimed. "What are you doing here?!" _And where in the world am I?_ he added to himself.

"I think I should be asking you that. And how do you know my name? Don't tell me you've met my sisters!"

"You have sisters?" Since when did Misty have any of those?

"Well, duh, kid. How dense can you be? They do the Water Shows in Cerulean City all the time. Jeez, you act like you're from some totally different _world_. Now, are you coming down or not?" she inquired, tapping her foot impatiently.

"I would, but I'm kind of stuck…" he trailed off, gesturing at the branch he was hanging from by the nape of his jacket. Misty sighed.

"Don't you have some kind of Pokémon that can help you?"

"Oh yeah! Saur, come on out!" He tossed the Poké Ball in the air, releasing his starter, Ivysaur. "Use Vine Whip to get me down!" Saur did as he was commanded, but ripped Red's jacket in the process.

"Well, it was about time to get a new one anyway," the boy said, shrugging his shoulders and taking the jacket off. "Misty! Long time no see! Gyara's doing great! Thanks again for letting me borrow hi—"

"First off, who the heck are you, and how do you know me? Second off, who in Arceus's name is Gyara, and why would I let _you_ borrow him?" demanded Misty, her brow creasing in frustration.

Red shot Misty an incredulous look. "You don't remember? I'm Red, from Pallet Town. We met a few months ago when Team Rocket made your Gyarados go berserk and I saved you by catching him. Then you let me borrow Gyara when none of my Pokémon could learn the move Surf so I could cross the ocean to get to the Seafoam Islands."

It was Misty's turn to be confused. "I don't know what you're talking about, kid. I know, like, five people from Pallet Town and not one of them are you. And my Gyarados was never stolen by that stupid syndicate of no-good idiots. They couldn't steal a Trainer's Jigglypuff in the middle of an open field in broad daylight. Don't lie to me, kid. I don't _like_ it when people lie to me," she threatened, flashing her mallet in front of him to further prove she meant business.

Red gulped. He did _not_ like the looks of that mallet. "But… I'm telling the truth, Mist!"

"-y," she added. "Mist-_y._ Only one kid has ever been allowed to call me that and get away with it."

"I called you that not even two months ago, Misty! If I didn't know you how would I know that you're Cerulean City's Gym Leader?"

Misty rolled her eyes exasperatedly. "Any idiot could figure _that_ one out. Try again."

"I have the badge to prove it!" he exclaimed, reaching into his pocket to pull out the Cascade Badge. Then he realized it was still stuck in the energy amplifier back in Saffron. Red let out a huff of annoyance. "Never mind."

"Mhmm, that's what I thought."

"Okay then, how would I know you live in a mansion with a bunch of maids to look after you?"

Misty's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Because I _don't_, genius. I live at the Gym with my three sisters and absolutely _zero_ maids. What made you think up something like _that?"_

"But you do, Misty! We trained together for a few days and you gave me a Cascade Badge before I left. I swear I'm not crazy!"

"Are you sure about that?" Misty asked, cocking an inquisitive eyebrow in his direction. "Hm, you sure do look a lot like Ash…" she commented randomly aloud, strolling over to stand beside him. Apparently the raven-haired hero had been on her mind. "But you aren't Ash, of course. You don't even have a Pikachu. And you're too old."

Red's eyes widened in alarm. "Oh crap! I almost forgot about Pika! Where did that Pokémon run off to? Misty, have you seen Pika around anywhere?" he asked frantically, his eyes instinctively searching the area for his missing yellow partner.

"Pika? So you do have a Pikachu? Hmph. Funny coincidence. Can't say that I have though…" she trailed off, glancing around at the rest of the trees dotting Route 4.

"Well, would you mind helping me look for him? We got separated when we were… on our way over here," he explained, purposely avoiding the whole "falling through the ball of light" thing to prevent her from thinking he was any more insane than she undoubtedly already thought he was. He was pretty sure she was ready to throw him in the first loony bin she could find.

Misty shrugged her shoulders. "The Gym's closed for the week due to remodeling and stuff, so I've got nothing better to do. Besides, Ash would never say no to a kid who needed help looking for a lost Pokémon. Where did you last see Pika?"

"Uh, well… There's the thing. I'm not really sure."

_Whack!_ Misty bonked him on the head with her mallet.

"Ouch! What was _that_ for?!"

"You _lost_ your Pikachu and don't even know where in the entire Pokémon World to look for him?! How in Arceus's name are we supposed to find him now?!"

"Jeez, Misty calm down. He can't be too far away." _At least I hope not,_ he thought, glancing up at the sky. _Or I'm as good as dead._

"Oh yeah? And how're you so sure about that?" she quipped, glaring at him balefully.

"Well…" he trailed off, trying to come up with an answer that sounded believable enough. "He's probably just wandering the route for something to eat, like some berries or something." He had to admit, while it sounded an awful lot like a lie (and Misty could definitely see right through it), it wasn't the worst story he'd told and still managed to get away with.

"Whatever," she muttered, rolling her eyes and heaving a sigh of irritation. "Well, what are you waiting for? Spoink to fly? You can't find your Pikachu by standing there like a Sudowoodo," she snapped, flashing her trusty mallet to get his attention.

"Alright, alright, I'm going. Jeez, Misty, you sure are more hotheaded than I"—he was abruptly cut short by an icy glare in his direction—"remember," he finished, much quieter than when he'd started. He nervously averted his gaze from an undoubtedly angry redhead, and silently wished he'd find Pika soon so he could get the Mew away from the crazy girl.

_Pika, where are you?_

* * *

"Chaaaa!" _Thwack!_

"Yeowza! What was dat?!" a dazed Meowth screamed as he was sent flying backward against a tree. Instinctively, his eyes flung open and he extended his claws, glancing around for the monster that had the gall to attack him. Then he saw a tuft of yellow fur hiding in the bushes. "Tink ya can get away wid sometin' like dat, Pikachu? Well, ya have no idea what's comin' to ya's once I gets ahold a ya."

He crept up behind the Pikachu, who appeared to be unconscious, and realized that it must've been some sort of mistake. Either that or the Pokémon was faking. "Well, eitha way da Boss's gonna be happy. I'll just take ya back ta Jessie and James and see what dey tink about dis. Hey, get up, Pikachu!" he exclaimed, shaking the little electric mouse.

"Cha," the Pikachu mumbled, his eyes slowly fluttering open.

"Red? Wait, you ain't da twerp's Pikachu," he noticed, scratching his head. "Aw, shucks. And ta tink I was finally gonna do sometin' right. I can't just leave ya here dough. Who's ya Trainer?"

The Pikachu rubbed his eyes and got to his feet, taking a look around before finally saying, "Pikapi? Pi pi pi?"

"Is Red ya Trainer?" The Pikachu nodded. "And you're a-lookin' for him, aren't ya?" Again, the Pikachu nodded in response.

"Pi Pika pi pikachu!"

"Oh, well nice ta meet'cha, Pika! Da name's Meowth!"

"Meowth!" a lady called in the distance. "Where did that Pokémon go?!"

"I don't know, Jessie. He doesn't normally do this kind of stuff," a man's somewhat nasally voice replied.

"Jessie! James! I'm ova here!" Meowth exclaimed, waving his arms in the arm. "Looky what I found, you guys!"

The two appeared from behind the trees, the lady magenta haired with blue eyes and the man a green-eyed blunet. Both, Pika realized, were wearing Team Rocket uniforms. He jumped back, his fur bristling and sparks of electricity discharging around his entire body. "Pi pi pi!"

"A Pikachu!" James exclaimed, walking over to pick it up.

"It ain't da twerp's eitha," Meowth remarked. "Hold on a sec dere, James! It knows you guys is from Team Rocket! And it don't look too happy about it."

Pika shook his head. He hated Team Rocket for what they did to Pokémon. Especially after what they did to Gyara and Vee. But there was still one thing he didn't understand. Why were they in white uniforms?

Normally Grunts dressed in all black, and they didn't exactly look like Gym Leader Triad material…

But despite Meowth's warnings, James picked up Pika anyway and received the shock of his life. "Pikachuuuu!" the little mouse exploded, letting out every ounce of electricity it had stored up and burning James to a crisp.

"Don't say I didn't warn ya's," Meowth muttered, rolling his eyes.

Pika turned to face him. "Pika? Pi pikachu?"

"Well, dat's a good question, Pika. Jessie and James are my friends, and yeah, we're all apart a Team Rocket. What's ya point?" Meowth asked, scratching his head once again.

"Pi pi pikachu, pi pi pi!" Pika exclaimed, sparks emitting from the pouches on his cheeks.

"Pokémon experiments? I don't remember da Boss sayin' anytin' about dat. Sure, dere was dat ting wid Mewtwo, but he—" Jessie clamped a hand over his mouth before he could continue.

"Uh, what I think Meowth's trying to say is that we aren't going to hurt you, Pika. We're Pokémon thieves, not scientists. We couldn't experiment on a Pokémon if we tried!" Jessie exclaimed, chuckling lightly in a desperate attempt to get her point across.

_Scraaatch!_ Meowth attacked Jessie, leaving big red claw marks across her face in the shape of an X.

"Meowth!" Jessie screamed, covering her face with her hands.

"What she's tryin' ta say is, just stick wid us, Pika, and we'll help ya find ya Trainer in no time!"

"Pi pi, pika, pikachu?"

"Well, dat's anotha good question," Meowth answered, scratching his head.

"What is he asking, Meowth?" James wondered, finally starting to recover from the shock Pika had given him.

"He's wonderin' why he should trust a bunch a Pokémon tieves ta take him ta his Trainer. I hafta say, he's got a point dere, you guys," Meowth told him, frowning. "How about dis? Ya don't gotta trust Jessie or James if ya don't wanna, but why don'tcha trust a fellow Pokémon like me? I ain't gonna tell ya wrong."

"Pi pi pi… Pika pi pi pikachu."

Meowth facepalmed. "He said I hads a point, but he still can't trust me because I'm one a Team Rocket's Pokémon," Meowth interpreted. "Look, Pika, just 'cause I run wid da bad guys don't mean I'm a bad Pokémon."

Pika pondered it for a moment. _These three seem harmless enough, _he thought. _And right now, they're the only chance I have to find Red._

"Pi, pi pi pi. Pika pika pi pikachu," the little Pokémon warned, discharging a few sparks to emphasize the threat.

"Great! I just knew ya'd sees it our way!" Meowth exclaimed.

"So he's coming with us after all?" Jessie asked, raising an eyebrow. Pika couldn't help but wonder how the two recovered so quickly from such brutal Pokémon attacks. In order for James to even withstand his Thunder attack, he had to have been shocked multiple times before. And judging by the width of Meowth's scratches, he could tell Meowth had attacked Jessie sometime in the past as well.

"As long as we don't try ta take him ta da Boss. Oterwise it's blasting off again for da tree a us."

"Feisty little Pokémon, aren't we, Pikachu?" Jessie remarked, sighing.

"Pi pi Pika," he angrily retorted, narrowing his eyes at the magenta-haired Rocket.

"His name is Pika, Jessie," Meowth informed her, facepalming once again. But his words fell on deaf ears.

"Oh-ho-ho, I always wanted such a cute little Pokémon!" she cooed, walking over to Pika and attempting to take him in her arms.

Pika backed away, expelling warning sparks from his cheeks. "Pi? Pika pi pikachu?"

"Eh, she's only crazy when she wants ta be," Meowth replied, waving the question away. Jessie wasn't _always_ this crazy. "Well, where did ya last sees ya Trainer, Pika?"

Pika gave him a confused expression. "Pika pi pi. Pika pi pikachu."

"Saffron City? In the Silph Co. Building?" Pika nodded. Meowth's eyes widened in amazement. "Ehhh, Jessie, isn't dat in Kanto?"

"I believe so, Meowth," James answered in her place, scratching his head. "So how did this little Pokémon wind up in Johto?"

_Johto? Where's Johto?_

"Hm, it pains me ta say it, but are ya sure ya Trainer didn't abandon ya, Pika?"

"Pi pi pi! Pikapi pika pikachu!" Pika screamed angrily. _No one accuses Red of abandonment and gets away with it!_

"Chill out, Pika! Jeez, forget I even asked. Well, we was headin' ta Team Rocket HQ for a special missi—"

"What he means to say is we have some business to take care of first. After we're done we'll take you to Saffron and help you look for your Trainer," Jessie cut in, again covering his mouth with her hand. He just didn't know how to shut up sometimes.

"Pi pi pi pikachu?"

"Uhhh, dat's a good idea! Why didn't I tink a dat one?" Meowth exclaimed, his eyes widening in amazement.

"What is it, Meowth?" Jessie snapped, growing impatient from having to rely on Meowth's undependable interpretations.

"Why don't we just take him ta da Professor here?"

"Meowth, do you _remember_ what happened last time we met the Professor?" Jessie hissed, tugging at her hair.

Meowth sighed. "Oh yeah, da Totodile ting…" Then Meowth had an idea. "Who said we had ta take Pika ta him? Why don't we just drop Pika off ova dere?" He could tell Jessie still didn't like the idea.

_She probably wants ta keep Pika all ta herself..._ the Cat Pokémon thought, frowning. Meowth genuinely wanted to help Pika find his owner, but he knew Jessie would be against it. James would probably go along with Jessie, too. And two humans against one walking, talking Pokémon wasn't exactly a dream match-up. "Jessie?" Meowth pleaded with his eyes. _Don't she know dis Pikachu is ten times stronger dan da twerp's? He'd kill us witout a second tought._

To his surprise, Jessie conceded. "Fine, but if the little rat even _tries_ to shock any of us, off to the Boss he goes. Understood?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at the Pokémon.

"Well, he said as long as we didn't take him ta da Boss we was safe anyways, so dere we go!" Meowth exclaimed in relief. "Follow me, Pika! We'll get ya ta New Bark in no time!"

* * *

"C'mon, Brock! For old times' sake?" the raven-haired boy begged. "This _is_ our last journey together. And May would be so surprised to see us up in the stands cheering her on!" They had just boarded the ferry and departed from Sinnoh, leaving their newest blunette companion behind to follow her own dreams.

Ash wanted to go see May compete in the Johto Grand Festival at Goldenrod City, since it was conveniently dated to take place only a few days after the Lily of the Valley Conference he'd just competed in. So far, Brock had already said yes, but most apparently his response hadn't been heard. "I said okay, Ash. I wanna see how she's doing anyway," Brock relented, rolling his almost nonexistent eyes and staring out at the sunset.

"You know I—Oh, so that's a yes?" Brock nodded, a smile creeping at the corners of his mouth. Pikachu shook his head in amusement.

"Ash, do you ever wonder why the sunset is always red?" he asked randomly, to which Ash gave a confused expression in reply.

"Uh, can't say that I have," he replied, scratching his head and staring off at the distant sun. "Why _is_ it always red?"

"Well, light is made up of colors, and red is the color that travels the farthest," he answered, glancing over at Ash.

_Random Brock fact #482,_ the young Trainer thought, a very bored look on his face. "So how much longer till it stops at Goldenrod? That's where the festival's at, right?" Ash wondered, staring over at his traveling companion.

"Ash, we just got on about two hours ago," Brock told him, both he and Pikachu facepalming. "It'll at least be a few hours before we even pass the rest of Kanto."

"Well, _excuse _me for"—_Splash!—"_wait, did you just hear that?" Pikachu's ears perked up as he searched for the source of the sound.

"I think it came from somewhere in the ocean," Brock muttered, glancing around at the water. Then he saw a head bob to the surface. "Gary?"

"That jerk?! Where is he?" Ash growled, swerving in a circle in an attempt to find his ex-rival.

"Down there, Ash!" Brock exclaimed, pointing down at the water. "I think he's unconscious. Ash, use Buizel while I go grab a life preserver!" Before Ash could think to reply, Brock took off.

"Buizel, go!" Ash tossed his Poké Ball in the air, releasing the Weasel Pokémon out into the ocean. "Grab Gary before he drowns!" Buizel did as he was told, inflating the collar around his neck to keep the two afloat until Brock could return, all the while managing to keep up as best as he could with the ferry. Then Ash had an even better idea.

"Staraptor, I choose you! Lift Gary up out of the water!" As soon as the Predator Pokémon was released from the confines of his Poké Ball, he obeyed Ash's orders, swooping down to where Buizel and Gary were floating and locking his talons around the spiky-haired boy's arms. "Buizel, make sure Gary's nice and secure before Staraptor comes back!" Ash ordered as he saw Brock round the corner, red and white life preserver in hand. Buizel gave a thumbs up, and Staraptor began his ascent back to the ferry.

"Well, looks like I won't be needing this," Brock commented, staring down at the life preserver and letting it clatter to the ground. Staraptor swiftly reached the deck, carefully dropping the boy to the floor and landing right beside him.

"Great job, you guys," Ash remarked, ruffling Staraptor's feathers and returning Buizel's thumbs up with one of his own. "Return, you two!" After the Pokémon were safely inside their Poké Balls, Ash knelt down beside his ex-rival. Pikachu strolled over to stand beside him. Brock had already begun CPR, and there was little else for Ash and Pikachu to do but sit and watch.

Within the next minute or two, the boy started coming to. "Argh…gak!" he choked, coughing up water. His eyes slowly blinked open, and Ash let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

"Whew. That was a close one."

The boy jerked up, a shocked expression on his face. "Red?" he asked, scrutinizing the kid with the Pikachu in front of him.

"Nope. Gary, it's me, Ash!" the raven-haired boy replied, clapping him on the back. "Brock and I just rescued you. You almost drowned."

The boy coughed slightly from the clap and scratched his head, confusion apparent on his face. "Gary? My name's Blue," he muttered, shaking his head.

"Umm, I'm pretty sure your name is Gary. Brock, do you think he might have amnesia?" inquired Ash, frowning over at his traveling partner. Brock shook his head.

"I don't think so. He wasn't in the water for very long, and he didn't hit his head on anything that we know of. Maybe his name really is Blue, and he just looks a lot like Gary," Brock suggested, shrugging his shoulders. Ash looked back over at the boy in question, and realized that Brock was right. Whoever this person was, he definitely wasn't Gary.

He wasn't wearing his lab coat, and he actually looked a few years older than Gary did. His hair was also more of a brunet shade, as opposed to Gary's signature auburn spikes. "Well, you still look kind of like him," he mumbled, particularly to himself. "Nice to meet'cha, Blue! The name's Ash Ketchum, and this is my partner Pikachu!"

"Pi pi pi!" the Pokémon exclaimed, waving at their newest arrival.

The boy shook his head. He had to be dreaming. _Where did Red go? _he wondered, glancing around the ferry. _Better yet, where am I?_ "Uh, where's this boat headed?"

"Well, its first stop is Kanto, but we're staying on and getting off at Goldenrod in Johto to head to the Johto Grand Festival," Ash replied, to which Blue gave him a very quizzical look.

"Grand Festival?" Ash nodded.

"Yeah, in Goldenrod City. They hold it every year for Pokémon Coordinators to compete for a chance at the title of Top Coordinator," Brock answered, glancing over at the confused boy. "You mean you've never heard of it?"

Blue shook his head. _What the heck is a Coordinator?_

"Hmmmm… I know! Why don't you come with us and see for yourself?" Ash asked, a spare light bulb going off in his otherwise vacant and dim head.

Blue thought it over for a moment before replying. _I've still gotta figure out exactly where I ended up anyway… And it's not like I have anything better to do… Heck, maybe I'll run into Red or Green along the way._ "I guess it's worth a shot," Blue finally told him, shrugging his shoulders.

"Great!" Ash exclaimed. "Goldenrod City, here we come!"

Blue sighed. He really _was_ a lot like Red after all, and not just because he shared some of the same looks. "Ash? Do you think we could stop by Cianwood after the Grand Festival?"

Ash quickly nodded, not even giving it a second thought. "Sure!" he answered. "But… why?"

"Well…" Blue trailed off, unsure of whether he should tell the boy or not. "Chuck used to be my teacher. He taught Scyther and me when I was younger." Instinctively, Blue grabbed at his belt loops to make sure all of his Pokémon were still there. Luckily, they'd stayed.

_It's a wonder they did after a fall like that,_ he thought, remembering his little escapade into the light that brought him to the ferry in the first place. "By the way, have either of you seen a girl scam artist or a guy with a Pikachu around here?"

Ash pointed at himself first. "Other than me? No, can't say that we have. What're their names, and we'll be sure to ask around."

"Eh, the guy's name is Red and the girl's is Green," Blue replied, running his fingers through his spiky brown mane.

"Boy, your parents sure loved colors, didn't they?" Brock remarked, shaking his head in amusement.

"Wait, no, they're not my brother and sister!" Blue exclaimed, waving his hands frantically at Brock. "They just… come from the same hometown."

"Oh. Well, where're you from, Blue?" Ash asked, pulling off his cap and ruffling his unkempt raven hair before placing it back on his head.

"Tch. It's a wonder you don't know," Blue answered starkly. "Pallet Town. Professor Oak is my Grandfather."

Brock, Ash, and Pikachu stared at the boy in amazement. "Uh, Brock?" Ash inquired. "I think we have a problem."

"Why? What is it?" Blue snapped impatiently, glancing between the three. "This is _exactly_ why I never tell people that… They start acting really strange around me."

"Blue, is your last name Oak?" questioned Brock, to which he received a somewhat irritated nod in reply.

"Well, duh! I just said that Professor Oak was my grandfather, didn't I?" He still didn't understand why they were staring at him like that, and it was becoming increasingly annoying. "Why are you staring at me like I'm some kind of ghost?!"

_Because, Blue. It doesn't make sense. None of it does. Ash is also from Pallet, and Gary is also Professor Oak's grandson,_ he heard a voice say in his head.

_Wh-who are you?_ he wondered, _and what are you doing inside my head?!_

_That is for me to know, and you to find out,_ _Chosen Color, _the Voice replied.

_Chosen Color?_ _What in Mew's name is going on?!_


	2. A Colorful Prophecy

**A/N: I'm baaack!:D I probably won't be able to update every single week, but I thought I'd go ahead and put up Chapter 2. ^.^ Thanks for the few but wonderful reviews, and I can't wait to hear more from you guys!:D Enjoy this next chapter, and don't forget to drop a review on the way out!;D (hope you don't mind me using that Sissy.:P)**

**Chapter 2: A Colorful Prophecy**

"I'm sorry, Gary, but Professor Oak's out right now. He said something about 'the Prophecy of Colors,' and seemed like he was in an awful big hurry," Tracey told him through the videophone, frowning. "Do you need one of your Pokémon? If so, I can—"

"Don't worry about it, Tracey. Do you know when he'll be back?" Gary inquired, glancing back at Green, who was sitting in the waiting area of the Pokémon Center, the Wynaut egg resting in her lap. She'd decided to get her Pokémon healed, and was passing the time by inspecting it and organizing her very disheveled, very muddled thoughts.

So far, she'd come to the conclusion that she was going crazy and this was clearly all a dream; none of it could be real. But that still didn't explain how _real_ it all felt. From Gary's hand to the egg's warmth, it all felt too _alive_ to be a dream she'd simply created over a good night's sleep and a vivid imagination. So what was it really?

"Uh, I can't say it'll be anytime soon. He took off with a suitcase of clothes, a spare set of Pokédexes, his PokéGear, and a passport." Tracey scratched his head, confusion apparent on his young face. "Can I take a message for him?"

_Hm, Pokédexes? Who does he plan on giving those to?_ Gary wondered, biting his lip. "Just tell him I called."

"No problem," Tracey answered, nodding his head.

"Where's Leaf?" Gary asked, noticing the darker brunette's absence. "She normally takes these calls."

"Oh, she went with the professor. Said he'd need her help doing something…" But apparently Tracey had no idea what.

"Well, thanks anyway, Trace. See you later," Gary remarked, staring down at his free hand, the one he'd held Green's with not too long ago. It still had a strange, tingling sensation to it, and her hand felt so cold, almost lifeless. Like she was a ghost.

"You too."

_Click._

Gary returned the phone to its cradle and turned in the direction of the girl in question. She looked so pale, almost transparent compared to Leaf, the lab assistant he'd first mistaken her for. It seemed so unworldly, but there had to be a reason. "Well, Gramps is outta town, so it looks like we're gonna have to wait on those answers for now," he told her, strolling over to sit beside her.

"Wonderful," she commented, the slightest hint of sarcasm in her voice. "Now I have to wait longer to find out if I belong in a crazy house or not." She hadn't intended to come across as bitterly as she had, but she couldn't see any other way of putting it.

"Green," Gary sighed, rolling his eyes. "Of course you don't. I'm sure there's a logical explanation for this. We just have to wait and…and…"

"And what, Gary? 'Wait and see?'" But Gary was too busy staring at the figure approaching them to acknowledge the question.

"Gramps? What are you doing here?!" he exclaimed, leaping to his feet. "And where's Leaf?"

"She's outside talking to Flannery," the Pokémon Professor replied, waving the question away. "And I came here to"—he then noticed Green, who looked like she'd rather be anywhere but there—"Oh, and who have we here?"

"This is Green," Gary explained, pointing at the girl with the Wynaut egg in her lap. "She's, uh, from Pallet Town."

Professor Oak's brows furrowed as he took in the information. "You don't say? Well, it's nice to finally meet you Green. I'm sure you already know who I am." Green nodded, finally feeling the first shred of sanity she'd felt since she'd arrived in Hoenn.

"Who doesn't know the Pokémon Professor?" she remarked as she rose to shake his hand, hugging the Wynaut egg tightly to her chest.

"Yes. Now, Gary, if I could, I'd like to speak with you in private," the professor said, making eye contact with his grandson for the first time since his arrival at the Pokémon Center.

"No problem. I've, uh, been needing to talk to you anyway," Gary replied, glancing over at Green and raising an eyebrow at her. "Green?"

"Oh, I'll go see if my Pokémon are ready," she told them, recognizing their desire for her to make herself scarce at the moment. She quickly slipped away, and Gary swiftly took her disappearance as a chance to bombard the professor with questions.

"What in Arceus's name is going on, Gramps? First Green falls out of the sky, and now you're here simply because you need to 'talk to me.' As if. What is it really?"

"Gary, _she's_ what I came here to talk to you about. You're probably not going to believe me on this one, but Green isn't exactly… from here, per se."

"I kinda figured _that_ one out when she kept bringing up her good friends Red and Blue. And wouldn't you know it? Blue also has a grandfather named Professor Oak," Gary remarked snidely. He didn't bother to bring up the whole tingling hand thing. "So where'd she come from?"

"She came from Kanto, but not _our_ Kanto, exactly…" the professor trailed off, trying to think of a good way to explain it without being written off as totally insane by his only grandson. He finally decided to just go for it. "She's from an alternate world, Gary."

It was completely silent—save for the light conversation being made by a few lone travelers in the center and the buzzing noises of the healing machine at work—as Gary took in the surprising information. "Well why didn't you just say so, Gramps? You had me worried she was some kind of _alien_ or something," Gary finally replied, chuckling. "But wait, why is she here?"

"Eh, that's kind of what I wanted to talk to you about, Gary," Professor Oak muttered, running his fingers through his receding gray hair. "I think she's one of the Chosen Trio in the Prophecy of Colors."

"Prophecy of Colors? What are you talking about?" Gary wondered. Having never heard of the prophecy before, he was incredibly curious and somewhat perplexed by it. The professor shuffled through a manila file he'd been holding the entire time and handed Gary a yellowed, slightly singed piece of almost crumpled paper. After reading it, he gave the professor a wide-eyed look.

"Gramps, if this is right, and she really is who you think she is, then that means…"

"I know, Gary. That's why I came here. We don't have much time, as you can see," the professor replied, taking the old paper back. "And there are still two other colors to locate."

* * *

"I'm sorry, Red, but I really don't know where Pika could've run off to," Misty told him, scratching her head in confusion. "If you'd just keep up with your Pokémon better, we wouldn't be having this problem anyway!"

Red rolled his eyes. She'd only said that for the hundredth time already. "Well, it's not my fault I came falling out of the sky and landed smack dab in the middle of nowhere!" he exclaimed, glaring at her. "Besides, if he'd be anywhere, it'd be Saffron City…"

"And why would he be there, Red? This is Route 4, not 5, 6, 7, or 8!" she retorted, naming off all possible routes that led to Saffron. "And what in Arceus's name do you mean by _that_? Falling out of the sky," Misty snorted. "As if."

Red shook his head and facepalmed. It was useless to try explaining everything to this Misty. She was much more stubborn and hotheaded than the Misty he knew. Plus, trying to explain to someone how he fell out of the sky probably wouldn't go so well anyway. "I think I'd know where my own Pikachu would be at. Please?" Red begged, giving her his best puppy dog face.

Misty let out a huff of exasperation. "Fine. But if he isn't there, I swear, Red—"

"Thank you!" he interrupted, giving her a surprise hug and causing Misty's face to flush slightly. "Let's get going! Pika, here we come!" He grabbed her by the arm and practically started dragging her toward Cerulean, which she swiftly stopped by whacking him in the head with her mallet.

"I'm not a Kakuna, you know. I can walk just fine by myself," she huffed, pulling away from his grasp and strutting away.

"But you hit as hard as a Hitmonchan," he muttered, rubbing the knot she'd left on the top of his head.

"What was that, Red?" she quipped, glaring back at him.

"N-nothing, Misty!" he exclaimed, rushing to catch up with her. _Jeez, such a temper…_

"I've barely known you a few hours and you've already gotten on my nerves just as bad as Ash does," she remarked, rolling her eyes.

"Who is this Ash kid you keep bringing up?" Red wondered, careful to keep his distance so he could avoid another mallet attack if he needed to. "Is he your _boyfri—"_

"If you even _try_ to finish that question," Misty threatened, raising her mallet and glaring over at him. "I swear, Red, you won't know what hit you." Red gulped. She sounded more serious than she had any of the other times she threatened him, so he took that as a no. After a few minutes of silence, Misty finally piped up to answer him.

"Ash is my best friend from Pallet Town," she told him, staring up at the cloudy sky. "He's the rashest, most stubborn, annoying ten-year-old I know, but he's also the most caring, compassionate, and determined person I've ever met in my entire life." Red nodded. He knew someone like that; namely, the Misty Waterflower he remembered meeting a few months ago. "Tell him any of that last part and you're dead. Got it, Pika Boy?" she asked, to which Red furiously nodded in reply.

Getting on _this_ Misty's bad side would possibly be the worst mistake he'd ever make. "Wait, did you say he was from Pallet?" Misty nodded, a quizzical look on her face.

"Your point?"

"I'm from Pallet too!" he exclaimed, jabbing his thumb in his chest. Misty raised an eyebrow.

"_Really?"_ she wondered, a hint of sarcasm in her voice. "You've already said this once today," she pointed out. "How come I never see you there then? It's only one of the smallest towns in Kanto. I go there to see Mrs. Ketchum and Professor Oak quite a bit, and I haven't seen you once."

"You know the professor?" Misty gave him an incredulous look.

"Who doesn't know the Pokémon Professor, Red?"

"So you know his grandson?"

Misty snorted. "Gary? Yeah, we've met."

_Gary? _"Who's that? I'm talking about Blue Oak, my rival."

Misty shook her head. "Are you sure that head of yours is screwed on straight, Pika Boy? I'm almost _positive_ his grandson's name is Gary, not Blue. You must be mistaken."

"But I'm not, Misty!" Red facepalmed. Why didn't Misty believe a word he was saying?! "Screw it. You're not gonna believe me anyway."

Misty froze in her tracks, shocked from what she'd just heard. "Did you just _give up_ fighting me? Just like that?" Red nodded, a very confused expression on his face. "Hm. Never had _that_ happen before. Ash _always_ fought until the very end, even if he was wrong a good ninety-nine percent of the time."

Red shrugged his shoulders. "So? Even if I _am_ right you're not gonna believe me. What's the point in arguing about it?"

Misty frowned, at a complete loss for words. She was used to heartfelt retaliations, not total surrender.

_Soon all will become clear, Chosen Color,_ he heard a voice ringing in his head.

_Chosen Color? Who is this?_ he wondered. _And what are you doing in my head?_

_The Gatherer holds the answers you seek. Find him, before time runs out._

_For the love of Mew quit being so cryptic! Who is the Gatherer?!_

_Find him, Chosen Color. Find Sam._

"Great, now I'm supposed to find some Gatherer and all I know is his first name," Red muttered, not realizing that Misty was listening.

"Who do you have to find, Red?" she asked, a softness in her tone he hadn't heard before and was almost shocked speechless from.

"Uh, some guy named Sam," he answered, scratching his head. "The person called him the 'Gatherer' for some reason. Any idea?"

"Well, I know one Sam, but he's from the past…" she trailed off, referring to the brunet boy they'd once encountered in Celebi's forest. "Wait, the professor's first name is Samuel. Maybe that's who your friend was talking about?"

"Probably. I don't doubt it," Red remarked, rolling his eyes. "Stupid Voice, messing with my head like that." Misty gave him a confused look.

_Man, I really need to learn to keep my mouth shut,_ he thought, shaking his head. "Don't mind that last bit. We could try calling him from Cerulean's Pokémon Center. He might even have some news about Pika."

"Well, it's worth a shot, I guess," Misty answered, shrugging her shoulders. "But let's call from the Gym instead."

"Great!" Red exclaimed, leaping in excitement. "Don't worry, Pika! We're gonna find you soon!"

* * *

_Ding dong, ding dong._

"Coming!" a male voice called from inside, trying to make his way to the door. Team Rocket stood at it, disguised as a delivery crew, awaiting the Johto Professor's appearance. They'd led Pika to his doorstep, and were about to leave when Jessie had come up with a brilliant plan to swipe a few Pokémon before making their getaway. The door finally opened to reveal a tall brunet man with glasses who had a confused expression on his face.

"Hello there, sir," Jessie began, shaking his hand. "My partner and I found this Pikachu wandering the forest earlier today and decided to bring him to you, thinking he might belong to someone." The professor scratched his head, glancing down at the little yellow Pokémon.

"No one's come by asking about one, but you're probably right. Pikachu are too rare around here to be found in the wild. Uh, Pikachu? Would you like to stay here with me until your Trainer comes to claim you?" Pika nodded, jumping into the professor's arms.

"He's probably a Kanto Trainer's, so I'll be sure to check with Professor Oak on this. Thanks, you two." He was about to shut the door when Jessie held out her hand to stop it.

"Actually, we've also come with a delivery for you."

"Delivery? I haven't ordered anything lately… What is it?" James pulled out a little brown package labeled "Elm" and handed it to the professor. Pika didn't like the looks of this. These two weren't actual delivery people, so what were they up to?

"Pika," the Pokémon growled through gritted teeth.

"Na-unh, Pika. Remember the deal. Be a good little mouse," Jessie urged, pointing a scolding finger at the Pokémon. Elm dropped the box, realizing who the two were and also suspicious of what lay inside.

"Wait a second. I thought I recognized you two! You're the Rockets who ran off with my Totodile!"

_Shoot! Our cover is blown!_ Jessie realized, instinctively shaking her head in response. "You, uh, must be mistaken, sir. Why would we give you this Pikachu if we were a bunch of _Pokémon _thieves?" she retorted, glaring down at the little furball.

"Well, you're right, but it could easily be a decoy," he pointed out. "You know, Officer Jenny is just a phone call away."

"Why, uh, look at the time! We should get going! Shouldn't we, Jessie Ann?" James asked, receiving a growl in response.

"Yeah, guess we should," she grumbled. "Have a nice life, Pika. Maybe you'll find Red sooner or later." Jessie grabbed the package and ripped it open, triggering a smoke ball that impaired the professor's vision long enough for the duo to make their getaway.

"Hm, those two sure are an odd couple," he remarked, wiping the smoke from his glasses. "Wait, did she say Red?" Pika nodded, eyes glistening in excitement at the mention of his Trainer's name.

"Well, Samuel will definitely find _this_ fascinating," Elm remarked, carrying the Pikachu inside and shutting the door behind him. "Looks like the Chosen Colors have arrived after all. And just in time, no doubt."

_Chosen Colors?_ What was he talking about? Could he mean Red, Green, and Blue? Pika sighed. He'd never understand humans, even if he was owned by one of the best (subject due to biased opinion or not).

Professor Elm walked over to the videophone and dialed the Pokémon Professor's number. After two rings, Tracey picked up. "Is Samuel there?" Elm asked, stroking Pika's fur.

"No sir, I'm afraid not. He and Gary just called from Lavaridge in Hoenn though, so I wanna say they're on their way back. Did you wanna tell the professor something?" Tracey realized that most of Elm's calls consisted of explaining to the Pokémon Professor his latest discoveries on Pokémon Evolution, and he would've gladly listened to the long-winded man had that been the case. Listening to him ramble on about Evolution was at times boring, but it definitely beat sitting in the lab alone with little else to do but twiddle his thumbs.

"No lectures today I'm afraid, Tracey," he told the boy, frowning slightly. "I needed to tell him about a Pokémon someone found. A Pikachu, as a matter of fact." He held up the yellow mouse so Tracey could get a good look, and surprise crossed the Pokémon watcher's face.

"That Pikachu almost looks like Ash's," Tracey mused. "But he's not as…colorful. The yellow in his fur seems to be fading, and his cheeks are pretty light, almost pink." Elm nodded, realizing that the watcher was right. The Pikachu was oddly pale, and holding him sent a strange sensation through the professor's hands.

It probably had to do with the prophecy the Pokémon Professor had mentioned not too long ago.

_"The Prophecy of Colors consists of a trio of Chosen Colors. The trio is most likely Red, Blue, and Green, since those are the three additive colors used to create white, but it's currently unclear about the other trio. They're all presumed to be Trainers, as it refers to Poké Balls when it mentions the second set of three, but it isn't very keen to give away much more. With time, I'm sure it will become clearer, but I do know Arceus is involved. For whatever purpose, it is the one designating who the Chosen Colors are," Professor Oak had told him over the videophone one day._

_"But how do we know when this will happen, Professor?" Elm had asked. "And how do we even know it's true?"_

At the time, Professor Elm wasn't sure whether to trust the professor or not, considering much of it sounded too ambiguous and almost too incredible to believe. But, as time went on, the Pokémon Professor started saying more and more about the prophecy, not really taking the time to explain how he got the information so much as just relaying to Elm what he knew.

_"The three colors are from an alternate world, Elm!" the Pokémon Professor exclaimed, wide eyed from his newest discovery. "That's why we don't know who they are." Elm raised an eyebrow, unsure whether to believe his colleague and once-great teacher or not._

_"Professor, don't you think that's a bit… out there?" he asked. "I mean, it's possible, but…"_

_"Believe me, Elm, I was just as doubtful as you, but you have to understand. There isn't much time left, and I'm going to need your help."_

Then the professor had gone on to explain how he knew; a Voice had slowly been revealing the information bit by bit. As incredulous as it sounded, and as hard as the Evolution Professor found it to believe, he knew Professor Oak wouldn't lie about something that could possibly label him as insane for the rest of his life. So he agreed to help the professor find the Chosen Colors.

"Uh, Professor, are you there?" Tracey asked, waving a hand in front of the screen.

"Oh! Terribly sorry, Tracey, my mind wandered off on me again," Elm replied, chuckling lightly. "Just let me know if a Trainer calls asking about a Pikachu, okay?" Tracey gave him a thoughtful look.

"Actually, someone already has. A kid named Red called from Cerulean City Gym just a few minutes ago asking about one named Pika. He was with Misty, for some reason. Want me to try calling back and see if they pick up?" Tracey almost sounded a bit nervous to call the Gym, Elm noted. He probably didn't want one of the Sensational Sisters to pick up instead.

"That would be great, actually," Elm replied, scratching Pika behind the ear. "Let me know if they answer, would you?"

"Will do, Professor," Tracey told him. "Call you back in a minute."

"Okay, I'll be looking forward to it, Tracey."

_Click._

"Well, Pika, looks like it's just you and me for a little bit. At least we found your Trainer." Pika smiled, excited about the first shred of good news he'd heard since he and Red were separated.

"Pikapi!"

_Don't worry, Red! We've almost found you!_

* * *

"Okay, so you're trying to tell me you're from some alternate Pokémon universe, you fell through some weird light to rescue your rival and some pickpocket you barely know, and now you have this weird Voice in your head that called you a 'Chosen Color'?" Ash asked, a smirk on his face he didn't bother to hide. Blue's farfetched story amused Ash just a bit too much.

"Well, when you put it that way I sound like an idiot." Blue narrowed his eyes at Ash. "I'm being serious here!" Maybe he shouldn't have brought up the Voice. Maybe he shouldn't have brought up anything. It definitely would've saved him a little humiliation, if not some time.

"It's kind of hard to take something like this seriously, you know," Ash giggled before bursting into hysterics yet again. Pikachu quickly followed his Trainer's lead. Blue sighed in frustration. He was getting absolutely _nowhere_ with this kid.

"Brock?" He glanced over at the breeder, who apparently seemed deep in thought over the whole thing. Er, over _some_thing, anyway. Finally, the breeder met his gaze and nodded.

"Ash, you and I both know it's possible. After all the legends you've met, I'm surprised you _don't_ believe this story. We met Arceus, for Arceus's sake!" he exclaimed, throwing his hands on the young Trainer's shoulders. "Surely if we can meet the god of all Pokémon _and_ save the entire Pokémon World, multiple times I might add, then this kid could come from some alternate dimension and have a strange Voice in his head." Ash stopped mid-laugh and so did Pikachu, realizing that Brock had a point.

Then he groaned. "Fine, fine. I guess you're right." He glanced over at Blue, whose stoic expression so much resembled Gary's it almost made Ash second guess himself. "Well, first things first, we gotta find out who this Voice is and figure out what he wants."

"Gee, why didn't I think of that?" Blue muttered sarcastically, his face in his hand as he undoubtedly rolled his eyes at the raven-haired youth's state-the-obvious comment. Even Pikachu couldn't help but facepalm at his Trainer for such a remark.

"If I had to guess, Blue, it's probably a Pokémon. A legend even," Brock stated as Blue craned his neck to listen.

"Then it's got to be Mew," he pointed out, since that was really the only legend known of where he came from.

Brock shook his head. "I don't really think so. What about Lugia, Ash? You've seen enough of them," he chuckled, referring to the baby Lugia they'd rescued as well as the one Ash rode on as the Chosen One to save the Pokémon World once.

"Eh, I don't think so. Lugia didn't seem like the type of legend to randomly pop up in people's heads," Ash joked, to which Brock rolled his eyes in reply. "Besides, Lugia spends more time sleeping at the bottom of the ocean than it does actually trying to prevent the world's destruction. Didn't it go back to sleep after we left?"

Brock shrugged his shoulders, realizing the validity in Ash's point. "It couldn't be Ho-oh either. Ho-oh is more of a good omen than anything else. What about Kyogre and Groudon? Or even Rayquaza or Deoxys?"

Ash thought it over a moment before replying, "I could see Deoxys, but the other three don't really have any telepathic powers that I know of. Rayquaza's more of a 'Hyper Beam first, ask questions later' kind of Pokémon anyway, and Kyogre and Groudon are asleep like Lugia right now, or like the entire world would be flooded and earthquakes would pop up everywhere."

Blue was getting quite annoyed by the guessing he and Brock kept doing, mainly because he'd never heard of any of these Pokémon they referred to as legends, and Blue _loathed_ being the ignorant one in a conversation. After a few more minutes of tossing Pokémon names back and forth between the two—Latias, Jirachi, Celebi, Shaymin, and Giratina being a few—Blue piped up with, "Perhaps it's that Arceus Pokémon you were talking about earlier?"

Brock and Ash both gaped at him in shock. "You talk about Arceus as if you've never heard of it," Brock noticed, his brows furrowing in confusion.

"Well, I haven't. Didn't I tell you I was from Kanto? I was trained in Johto, but still. As far as I know there are only a hundred and fifty-one Pokémon able to be registered in my Pokédex," he answered, holding out a device that much resembled Ash's first model, Dexter.

Brock let out a loud whistle. "You've got some serious catching up to do, Blue. There are about four hundred and ninety-three now," he remarked, taking the Dex from Blue's hand. It crumbled at Brock's touch. "Hm, I don't think that was _supposed _to happen. Eh, sorry, Blue."

Blue was too busy freaking out about what Brock had said first to notice the outdated device's sudden disintegration. "Four hundred and ninety-three?! No freakin' way!" he exclaimed, running a hand through his disheveled hair. "You gotta be kidding me!" Brock shook his head.

"I'm afraid not. And I'm almost positive there will be more to hear about once Ash decides to start another journey in a different region."

_No way. _Blue stared at them in shock, struck speechless at the thought of so many new Pokémon to catch, to train, to learn about. After another few minutes of silence, Brock jabbed his thumb in the direction of the sea. "Look, Ash, we can almost see Johto from here," he told the boy, who ran over to the handrail and started staring out at the scenery slowly unfolding before them. Pikachu jumped onto the railing to get a better view.

"Pi pi pi!" Pikachu commented, mentioning how pretty it looked from afar.

"Home sweet Johto," Blue breathed. "Well, looks like Goldenrod's gonna be crowded the next few days." Ash nodded, apparently having completely forgotten about their conversation of only a few seconds ago.

"Grand Festivals always are," Ash pointed out, "which is another reason May and Dawn like competing at them so much. The bigger the crowd, the more fans you have. Most of the time, anyway."

"Ash, we should probably call the professor and let him know about Blue," Brock remarked, going over to stand beside him. "I have a feeling he'll wanna know about his grandson from an alternate world." Ash shrugged his shoulders.

"I dunno, Brock. Wouldn't that be kind of hard to explain?"

"Ash, if he even believes _half_ the things we've done, I don't think he'll have any trouble trusting us about this."

Gee, arguing with Brock was becoming pretty pointless, as far as Ash was concerned. He was just too good at being right about everything. Ash sighed. "Yeah, I guess so. Maybe he'll even know something we don't."

"Well, I'd say it's worth a shot," Blue told them, going over to stand on the opposite side of Ash.

"Of course _you_ would," Ash muttered, rolling his eyes. Blue glared at him, trying to hold back a snappy retort.

_Just a little bit longer, Blue,_ he reminded himself, taking a deep breath. At least Brock offered some form of solace from Ash's immaturity. "About how much longer will it be?" he asked, glancing over at the breeder.

"Hm, I'd say about another few hours, at least," Brock answered, shaking his head. "This is New Bark Town we're passing now, and Goldenrod's on the other side of the region."

"So, Blue, what Pokémon do you have?" Ash asked curiously, looking down at the five Poké Balls at the Trainer's belt.

"Right now I have Charizard, Porygon, Scyther, Golduck, and Machamp, but I've got some more at the lab with Gramps," he replied, ticking off each Pokémon's name on his hand.

"I have a Charizard!" Ash exclaimed. "And Misty has a Psyduck, but I don't think that counts if you're talking about Golduck. But we did _think_ he'd evolved one time." Blue gave him a confused look.

"Misty as in the Cerulean City Gym Leader?"

Ash nodded. "The one and only."

"Hmph. Red knows her then."

Ash raised an eyebrow. "There's a Misty where you're from?"

"Yeah, and a Brock too. Wait, you're not Pewter City's Gym Leader, are you?" Brock shook his head.

"Former Gym Leader. My younger brother Forrest took over after I left to join Ash on his journey."

Blue sighed. He couldn't believe he hadn't put two and two together sooner.

"So there's a Brock, a Professor Oak, _and_ a Misty where you're from," Ash pointed out, yet again stating the obvious. "Then that means there should be a me too!" Pikachu rolled his eyes and facepalmed at his Trainer's brash conclusions.

"Not necessarily, Ash," Brock told him. "If you haven't noticed, all of those people are either Gym Leaders, like Misty and myself, or Professors, like Professor Oak. It may not work the same way for a ten-year-old Trainer, no offense." And yet again, Brock proved a point that Ash couldn't argue with.

"But, if I had to guess, you're probably Red's counterpart," Blue answered, shrugging his shoulders. "He has a Pikachu too, and you both look a lot alike, even if you don't have the same name."

Brock thought it over. "I guess it's possible. But then that means you'd probably be Gary's. I don't know about Green though," Brock mumbled, scratching his head.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to wait and see!" Ash exclaimed, suddenly more eager to meet the boy Blue kept talking about.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu agreed, an eagerness bubbling inside him that very much resembled his Trainer's.

_If Red really is an alternate me, I _have_ to challenge him to a Pokémon battle!_


	3. Appeals for Love

**Chapter 3: Appeals for Love**

"Who are _you_?" the darker brunette asked, scrutinizing the pale girl in front of her that had walked out with Gary and the professor. Professor Oak had _definitely_ failed to mention anything about an almost look-alike tagalong, and Leaf _hated_ surprises.

"You're Leaf, right? I'm Green," the girl in question replied, giggling. "Gary's told me _so_ much about you!"

"He did?" Leaf gasped, her face flushing lightly. Why would that player bring up her, especially to some stranger she'd never even met?

"Sure I did, Leaf," he told her, winking. "You're still my girl, right?"

Leaf snorted and rolled her eyes. "Tch. As if, Oak." _Still as flirty as usual, I notice,_ she added silently, eyeing the auburn-haired researcher warily.

Gary's face fell in mock disappointment. "Ouch, Leaf. Thanks for the easy let down." He walked over and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, only to be rejected and jerked away from.

"Don't even _think _about it, Gary," she huffed, sticking out her tongue at the player and throwing her hands on her hips in defiance.

Green giggled. Gary could flirt just as bad as she could, and she couldn't help but feel a bit envious of the girl who'd won his affections. "Hey, cutie," she said to Gary, winking. "You look like you could use some help."

_Cutie?_ Leaf wondered, raising an eyebrow at the girl, her face flushing once more, this time for a different reason. _Why I oughta…_

"Chill, Leaf," Green chuckled, rolling her eyes. "I'm not gonna take your man away from you."

_"My man?!"_ she screamed, her face turning the deepest shade of crimson possible. "That _jerk_ isn't my man, Green. In fact, you can keep him; I don't even want him." She crossed her arms and tilted her head up matter-of-factly.

Green could tell she was lying. She was _such_ a bad liar.

"Hurtful," Gary commented, holding a hand to his heart. "Crush me like a Caterpie, why don't you?"

Leaf rolled her eyes. "You know that didn't hurt. You're as heartless as a Sableye, Oak."

"_Ouch_, Leaf," Gary retorted dramatically. "That was cold."

Despite his whining, Leaf could easily see through his façade and refused to show an ounce of sympathy toward the jerk. He was just going to have to get over it, she justified, smirking at the thought as she glared over at Green, who seemed to be greatly enjoying the whole encounter.

"Well, Gare-bear, I think it's safe to say she doesn't want you," Green remarked, frowning poutily.

_"Gare-bear?"_ Leaf hissed. "Since when is _that_ his nickname?"

"Since now, silly," Green answered, strolling over to Gary and giving him a hug. Leaf was fuming. Gary looked just plain conflustered. "Just play along, cutie. You'll have her in no time," she whispered in his ear, winking. Gary nodded subtly in reply and quickly returned the embrace.

She had to admit she was enjoying prodding at Leaf's feelings. In fact, she found it quite hilarious. And getting to nuzzle so close to such a cutie was just another perk.

Professor Oak found it pretty funny too. "Young love," he noted, letting out a hearty laugh.

Luckily Leaf hadn't heard him, or it would've meant war. "Ugh! Get a room, you two!" she screamed, throwing her hands up in exasperation. Green _really_ knew how to get on her last nerve. "Forget it! Come on, Professor!" Grabbing Professor Oak by the arm, she began to stomp away, leaving Green in hysterics and Gary barely concealing a laugh of his own.

"I think I had a little too much fun messing with Leaf like that," she said once the laughter subsided.

"Really? I don't think so. In fact, I don't think it was nearly enough," Gary replied, smirking. Prodding at Leaf was _never_ too much fun for the obsidian-eyed boy, who enjoyed seeing her livid and ready to knock his teeth in.

"Well, Gare-bear, we have _plenty_ of time to fix that," she told him, winking up at him.

"You're a devious little flirt, aren't you? I think I like that." Green felt her face flush slightly, and could've sworn he looked a bit embarrassed as well.

"We should probably catch up. Don't want the professor to leave us behind, right, Gare-bear?" she asked, holding her hand out for him to take. He looked down at the hand for a few seconds before finally accepting it. He almost seemed to be hesitating, like it was going to _Bite_ him or something. Green quickly shook the thought away.

Of course that wasn't it. Her hand couldn't do something like that. But it still nagged at her in the corner of her mind.

Why would he hesitate like that?

"Anyways, what did the professor need to talk to you about?" she asked as they strolled away from the Pokémon Center, swinging their interlocked hands back and forth.

"Just some research stuff. Nothing too important," he lied, hoping she wouldn't catch it. But of course she did.

"Mhmm. You know, you're just as bad at lying as Leaf is," she remarked, glaring over at him. "Either that or I'm like the luckiest guesser in the entire Pokémon World!" He frowned, most apparently not agreeing with the former statement. "Why can't you tell me?" she whined, giving him her signature Growlithe look. Gary sighed, shaking his head in reluctance.

"He came to tell me about a prophecy," he finally explained, pursing his lips. "Green, he came to tell me about _you_."

Green was struck speechless. How could he do that when he had to ask her name earlier?

"Green, uh, how do I explain this?" he wondered aloud, running his fingers through his russet-colored hair. "You're not exactly where you think you are."

"Of course I am! I'm in Hoenn, aren't I?" she asked, glancing around in confusion, as if the land would suddenly morph into some strange entity, or a completely different planet, even.

"Well, yes and no. See, this is Hoenn, but not the Hoenn you know, per se," he answered, frowning slightly.

What could he be getting at? He was definitely skirting around an absolute answer, she noticed. And she wasn't sure she liked that very much. "What, am I in the future or something?" she asked sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"Close. More like an alternate dimension," he replied, looking directly at her to express the verity of the situation.

Green burst into laughter. "This is a joke, right?" She glanced up at him, meeting his dark gaze and waiting for a smile or a tip off to his deceit. Then she realized he was being serious. "No way. You've _got_ to be kidding me!"

"Afraid not, love," he told her, smirking at his fake British accent.

Green facepalmed. Regardless of his relaxed attitude, the weight of what he'd just said was slowly starting to sink in. "Gee, now I know why you didn't wanna tell me," she muttered, genuinely seeming upset about it. "How am I supposed to get home?"

Gary raised an eyebrow. He hadn't thought about that. "I'm not exactly sure, but I'm pretty sure Gramps would know." _Maybe, anyway,_ he thought, but decided against voicing aloud. She didn't need an unconvincing _maybe_ at the moment; she needed an absolute assurance that she'd be able to go home once it was all over.

Green sighed. "I hope." She then realized how little she had left to go back to. _Red and Blue probably don't even miss me. And I have no idea where Silver is. _She closed her eyes, letting the thought sink in, and a tear slipped down her cheek. _Red, Blue, where are you two?_

"So, what was the prophecy about?" she asked, quickly changing the subject and wiping the stray tear away. "I figured that since I was in it, I might as well know."

"Well, it said something about a trio of colors, and apparently you're one of them," he remarked, cupping a hand to his chin and pressing his lips into a thin line, as if in deep thought over something. What, Green had no idea, though.

"Wait, Blue and Red are in it too?" she asked, surprise clear in her voice. "Then that means they're here too, right?" But how had they ended up here, in this alternate world like she had? Did the light swallow them up as well? _No way,_ she countered, slapping herself mentally for thinking the two would come in after her. _Red might, but I doubt Blue would give it a second thought._

Gary nodded, watching as Green shot him a disbelieving look. "It looks like it, Green. Now we just have to find them, and apparently you have something to do with saving the world. Bet that's gotta be an ego booster," he told her, smirking.

"Oh, you _bet,"_ she flirted back. "Little old me's gotta save this world and I just got here a few hours ago!"

_That's right, Chosen Color. Save the world, before it is too late,_ a Voice suddenly rang through her head.

"Did you hear something, Gare-bear?" she asked, frowning.

Gary shook his head. "No, did you?"

_Hm, it must be in my head,_ she thought, shaking her head.

_Time is running out, Chosen Color,_ it reiterated. _Time is running out._

_Who are you?_ However, the Voice gave no reply, leaving her to feel even more confused and slightly less sane.

_Voice?_

_What's wrong with me?_

* * *

"Hey, Daisy, are Misty and Red still there?" Tracey asked, biting his lip anxiously. He always got jittery whenever he had to talk to the oldest of the Sensational Sisters.

"Nope. They just, like, left for Saffron City. Sorry, Trace," she told him, burnishing her nails with Lily's fuchsia nail file, since the pinkette had seemingly misplaced her own.

Tracey mumbled something unintelligible under his breath. "Well, do you think you could catch them?"

Daisy raised an eyebrow at the raven-haired boy. Was he being _serious?_

Tracey smiled nervously and scratched his head. "Heh, of course. Stupid question. Guess I'll try calling Saffron City's Pokémon Center then. Thanks," he muttered, giving her a half-smile.

"Good luck with that. It'll at least be like, a half day before they get there or whatever. Why, did you, like, need to talk to Misty or something?" she wondered, frowning slightly.

"Not exactly," Tracey replied, pursing his lips. "Red was looking for his Pokémon, and Professor Elm somehow got a hold of it…"

"Well, why didn't you like, say so? I'll call Misty's PokéGear and tell her to come back right away!"

Tracey sighed. She really could be such a blonde sometimes. Not that he was complaining, though. "Wouldn't it be easier to give me the number and let me call her instead?" Apparently the thought hadn't occurred to the blonde Gym Leader.

"Of course! Why didn't I, like, think of that?" She then realized she couldn't remember Misty's number and had to tell Tracey to hold on so she could find it. _It has to like, be here somewhere,_ she thought, shuffling through the papers at the reception desk. She'd written it down for someone not too long ago.

"Aha! Got it!" she exclaimed, pulling the paper from the desk and showing it to Tracey. "Hopefully this'll help."

"Thanks, Daze. I really appreciate this," he told her, jotting the numbers down.

"You, like, owe me for this, you know," she pointed out, winking.

"Another dinner date then?" inquired Tracey, smirking. He knew where she was going with this.

Daisy rolled her eyes. "Call it whatever you want, but that was just, like, my way of saying thank you."

"I know, and now it's mine. I promise, as soon as the professor and Leaf come back I'll set it up. See you later, Daisy."

"You too, Trace," she told him, sighing dreamily as she hung the receiver back up.

"Now, to get ahold of Red and Misty," Tracey murmured, typing in the number Daisy had given him. Misty picked up within a few rings.

"Hey, Tracey? How'd you get this number?" she asked, her brow furrowing in confusion. Thanks to her somewhat thoughtful sisters, she got the latest PokéGear model for her birthday, allowing her to actually see Tracey as opposed to an audio-only conversation connoted with head sprites.

"Daisy gave it to me," he remarked, smiling somewhat bashfully.

Misty gave him a knowing look. "You're gonna owe her for that one. Bet she had to fish it out of one of the reception desk's drawers."

"I know, I know, and yeah, she did actually," he told her, laughing. "But that's not the point. I think we've found Pika."

"What? That's great! Where is he?" she asked. Apparently Red had overheard, as he rushed over to her side and nearly knocked the PokéGear out of her hands.

"They found Pika? Where at? C'mon, Misty, lemme see!" he exclaimed, trying to peek at the PokéGear over her shoulder, which she abruptly refused him the privilege of.

"Actually, he's in Johto with Professor Elm," Tracey explained, cupping a hand to his chin and grimacing thoughtfully.

"What? How'd he end up there?" she wondered aloud, shaking her head.

"Beats me," answered Tracey, shrugging his shoulders. "Professor Elm said someone gave Pika to him earlier today, and he figured it was a kid's from Kanto."

"Johto? What's that?" Red asked, a confused expression on his face.

Misty glared at him. "Are you being serious or are you just being a Slowpoke to get on my nerves?" She definitely wouldn't put the latter past the Ash-like Pikachu-losing Pokémon Trainer, even though she'd barely known the boy for longer than a couple of hours.

"What do you think, Misty? Would I ask such a stupid question if I actually knew the answer?" he retorted, earning a prompt _whack!_ on the head with Misty's mallet.

Misty sighed and took a deep breath before continuing. "Sorry about that, Trace. Red really doesn't know half this stuff, for some stupid reason," she replied sardonically. She turned to Red and reluctantly gave an answer to his question.

"Johto is a region connected to Kanto by the Indigo Plateau. There's also Hoenn and Sinnoh, but they aren't connected like Kanto and Johto are."

"Whoa, so all those different regions gotta have different Pokémon, right?"

Misty gave him an incredulous look. "I was being sarcastic when I told Tracey you didn't know any of that, Red. Don't tell me you're being serious?" She really wasn't liking the sudden Q and A game he was playing with her, and was almost tempted to threaten him with her mallet to make him stop. But she couldn't help but feel a slight curiosity as to why he had no idea about all the different regions and Pokémon, even if his questions were annoying and increasingly tiring.

"So there are more than a hundred and fifty-one Pokémon, Misty?" he asked, dodging her question with one of his own.

Tracey raised an eyebrow, having overheard the young Trainer's question. "There are at least four hundred and ninety-three known now, according to the Sinnoh Dex," he told him, sighing. "You really don't know this, do you, Red?"

Red let out a huff of annoyance. "Of course I did! I was just… making sure you guys knew, is all."

Misty rolled her eyes, seeing straight through his "know-it-all" façade. "So, can the professor send Pika to us, or do we need to come get him?" she asked, quickly posing a change of subject, to Red's relief.

"Well, he _would_ send Pika to you, but he doesn't exactly have the Poké Ball to transfer him in," Tracey answered, frowning and running his fingers through his dark hair. "So unless you meet him somewhere or go to Johto and pick him up there, I don't think there's much else he can do."

"Hm…" _Aren't May and Drew competing in the Johto Grand Festival?_ "I guess we'll just take the next magnet train out of Saffron and get off at Goldenrod, and leave on a ferry to New Bark as soon as the Johto Grand Festival is over."

_Grand Festival? What's that? _Red wondered, but he didn't dare ask. All these questions were beginning to make him sound quite ignorant of the world around him, and his pride simply wouldn't allow people to think of him like that. Plus the thought of being clobbered by her mallet again just wasn't very appealing to him at the moment.

"Oh, Brock and Ash are heading there now. They called the lab to let Professor Oak know they'd be late coming home." What Tracey didn't know however, was that they'd also called to try telling the professor about Blue, but because he wasn't there, they didn't get the chance.

_Ash is going to be there?_ _And Brock?_ "Well, it would almost be a reunion, if Max were there," she pointed out. "Anyway, thanks for the info, Trace. See you later, and good luck paying my sister back." She chuckled lightly, and Tracey did the same.

"Heh, thanks. Will do. See ya, Misty," he answered, smirking shyly as he hung the phone up.

_Click._

"Well, we've finally found Pika, Red," Misty told him, smiling softly.

"Yeah, guess we did," he answered, laughing.

"Just one question: how in Arceus's name did Pika go from being in Saffron City one minute, to winding up at Professor Elm's _doorstep_ in Johto the next?!" she screamed, whacking him yet again with her mallet. "What kind of Trainer loses their Pokémon in another whole _region_ like that?!"

"For the love of Mew would you quit hitting me with that thing?! How am I supposed to know, Misty? Up until like two seconds ago I didn't even know Johto existed!"

Misty had to admit, he had proven a point. "That's another thing I don't understand. Why _don't_ you know about all the new Pokémon and the different regions?"

Red shrugged his shoulders. "Don't ask me, Misty. I'm not even really sure how I ended up hanging in a tree on Route 4 to begin with, especially when I was in Saffron City's Silph Co. building before that."

"Gosh, it's almost like you're from the past, like Sammy was. But you're obviously not, with Poké Balls like those," she muttered, glancing at his belt loop and the six Poké Balls occupying it, one presumably empty from where Pika normally went.

"Poké Balls like these were invented by the professor anyway, so they've been out at least ten, fifteen, maybe even twenty years. How do we know I'm not from the recent past?" he inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Because you claim you know me, remember?" she retorted, giving him a blank look.

"Oh yeah," muttered Red, scratching his head. "Forgot about that. I don't really know, Misty. I wish I did though."

"Well, I'm not sure about this, but maybe we'll find some answers in Johto. There's gotta be a reason Pika ended up there like he did," she pointed out, glancing over at him.

"Yeah, maybe this Professor Elm you mentioned will even know something…" He shrugged his shoulders and laughed. "Well, what are we waiting for, Misty? Let's get going! Saffron City, here we come!" He took off, leaving Misty standing there. Too bad he was going in the wrong direction.

Misty sighed. _Typical Ashy thing to do,_ she thought. "Hey, Red, Saffron's this way!" she called to him. He froze in his tracks, pivoted and started in the other direction.

"Of course it is, Misty! I was just testing you, to see if you'd follow," he quipped, yet again trying to cover up his slight show of ignorance. Misty rolled her eyes.

"Mhmm, that's _exactly_ what you were trying to do." She let out a laugh, realizing how much she missed Ash's somewhat dimwitted ways, and hoped that she might run into him at the festival.

_Wherever you are, Ash, hopefully I'll find you._ She started off in the direction of Saffron, easily maintaining Red's pace so they could continue to talk on their way.

"Hey, didn't Tracey say that that Ash kid was gonna be at Goldenrod too?" Red wondered, a broad grin spreading across his face.

Misty didn't understand why, but she suddenly felt her cheeks flushing at the boy's inquiry. "Yeah, why?" she told him, smiling sheepishly back.

"Just… wondering," answered Red, averting his eyes. "You know, you should really tell that kid how you feel, Misty. You probably aren't gonna get another chance like this."

Misty let out a sigh of disappointment. "Yeah, I—wait, what?! What do you mean by that?!" she shrieked, stopping her feet and grabbing Red by the collar.

"You know you like him Misty, so quit trying to ignore it," he told her bravely, but he didn't feel very brave right then. He actually felt like she was going to rip his head off at any given moment, and that sounded far worse than an attack from her merciful mallet.

"Why you little—" she hissed, but was quickly interrupted by her own thoughts.

_You know he's right, Misty. That's why you're mad,_ her conscious told her.

_Shut up, conscience! I don't need your help!_

_Misty, get ahold of yourself. _Then she realized it was right. Her face softened, and she released her grip on his collar.

"You win, Red. I probably should tell him, and I might, but don't get any bright ideas and decide to tell him for me, you hear?" she asked, glaring over at him sharply. "If I even _think_ you're up to something—"

"Which I won't be, Misty. Just don't worry about me. I won't say a word; I promise. But only unless you do. If you don't, now, that's a different story." Misty raised a threatening eyebrow at him.

"I _dare_ you to even mention my name in any way related to romance or feelings or any of that gushy stuff. I'll kill you," she told him bluntly, narrowing her eyes at him menacingly. It was mostly an empty threat, but Red knew from experience that, while she wouldn't have the heart to kill him, she definitely wouldn't hesitate to give him a few wounds or even cause temporary paralysis, if it suited her mood.

Red held up his hands in surrender. "Fine, fine, but you better tell him, Misty. I'm being serious. You don't want to live life regretting not saying anything."

Misty almost looked kind of upset at his words, and he knew that was what she'd been thinking about the past few months, since she and Ash had parted ways. Because their hearts belonged in two different places, hers at the Gym and his on the road, it had become increasingly hard to see him (or to stop thinking about him). She got to travel with him a few days on the way to his first Frontier match, but even then, the time had flown by much too quickly. Now she was only driven by the thought that they'd see each other again, like they always did, and it fueled her fire enough to keep going, to not give up. Ash wouldn't have wanted her to quit like that.

So Red was right. The chance of seeing him like this was too rare and unpredictable to pass up. She had to admit it, but would she find the guts to tell her best friend the feelings she'd kept for what seemed like such a long time?

She offered no reply, and ended their somewhat abrupt conversation with a sigh as they continued on to Saffron.

_Maybe I'll tell you this time, Ash. Maybe._

* * *

"I finally found them, Professor," Tracey told him, a relieved expression on his face. "They're taking the magnet train to Goldenrod to see the Grand Festival, and then they're coming straight to New Bark Town by ferry."

"Excellent, Tracey! I just knew I could count on you," Elm replied, ruffling Pika's fur. "I was starting to wonder actually. Say, does the professor have his new PokéGear with him?" he asked, remembering the Pokémon Professor's tendency to forget it at the lab.

"I think he took it this time, Professor Elm, if you'd like to give it a try," Tracey replied, "no promises he'll answer, though."

"I certainly will. Thanks again, Tracey."

"No problem, Professor. Good luck," he answered, waving goodbye.

"Thanks, I'll definitely need it."

_Click._

"Well, Pika, Red knows where you are. Now I just need to get ahold of Samuel and let him know about everything." He typed in the professor's number, and Leaf picked up after about five or six rings.

"Oh, it's Professor Elm!" she exclaimed to someone outside the screen. "Long time no see, Professor!"

"Leaf! What a pleasant surprise! How are things?"

"Well, they could definitely be better," she grumbled, rolling her eyes.

"Eh? What's the matter?"

"Nothing." She sighed. "Gary's just being a jerk as usual. Did you need something, Professor?" she asked, quickly changing the subject.

"Oh, yes. Is Samuel around?"

"Yeah, hold on a sec." She held the screen down and told Professor Oak who was on the other line, then handed him the red-and-white PokéGear.

"You needed something, Elm?" the professor asked, glancing down at the screen.

"Professor! I've found Red!" he exclaimed, loud enough for everyone to overhear, including a certain scam artist brunette.

"Really? Where is he?!" she screamed, tackling Oak and clutching the device in her hands.

"Leaf?" Elm scratched his head. "You know Red?"

"Of course I don't!" he heard Leaf screaming in the background, undoubtedly rolling her eyes. "That's Green!"

"Oh, so _you're_ Green?" Green nodded.

"Where's Red at?" This was the first news she'd heard about either of her friends, and she was eager to find out as much as she could.

"He's coming to Johto by magnet train with Misty."

_Johto?_ she wondered. _Where is that? _She then noticed a tuft of yellow fur peeking out from the bottom edge of the screen.

"Is that Pika?" she asked, her eyes growing wide. Apparently he and Red had gotten separated along the way as well.

Elm nodded. "Red's on his way to get him."

"Pika!" she squealed. "It's really you!"

"Pikapi?" He looked up at the screen, recognizing the high-pitched shriek. "Pikapi! Pi pi pika pikachu!"

"Good to see you too, Pika! Hear you're waiting for Red?" Pika nodded.

"Pi pi pi. Pikapi pi pi pika pikachu!" Although she couldn't totally understand what Pika was saying, she was pretty sure he was explaining how he and Red got separated.

"He didn't put you in your Poké Ball before going in after me, did he?" she asked blankly, to which Pika shook his head in reply. "Guess that explains it. Looks like we're heading to Johto! We are, aren't we, Professor?"

Professor Oak nodded, apparently having recovered from his fall. "Any word from Blue?" Green asked, a glint of hope in her eyes. Elm shook his head.

"Nothing, so far." Green frowned. That wasn't what she'd expected to hear.

"Green, I'm sure we'll find him soon," Professor Oak told her, patting her on the back.

_Where are you, Blue? _"Thanks, but I'm not even sure he made it. He wasn't even with Red and me when I… ended up here," she told the professor, but he didn't seem too alarmed by the news.

"He made it, Green. I can at least tell you that."

"How're you so sure?" she asked, her voice breaking slightly. "How do you know Blue came after me? He isn't like Red… He wouldn't chase after a worthless scam artist like me." Everyone stared at her in bewilderment.

"You're a… scam artist?" Gary wondered, raising an eyebrow.

"What, you don't believe me? I'll have you know I scammed Red out of six thousand Pokédollars for some fake 'battle' items one time," she retorted, a hand on her hip.

"Really now? Prove it," Gary retorted, smirking at her playfully.

Leaf shook her head and rolled her eyes in exasperation. "This isn't the time, you guys." But her words had no effect.

Once Green was challenged to something, there was no stopping her.

"At least let me have the PokéGear." She took it from Green, who surprisingly let go and strolled closer and closer to Gary's side, until her stride matched his own. She nuzzled close to him before showing off her latest product.

"Fine. Wanna buy this then?" she inquired, pulling out a golden Poké Ball and balancing it lightly between two fingers.

"Is that the GS Ball?" Gary's brows furrowed. No, it wasn't marked with the signature _GS_, so it couldn't be. What was she playing at?

"Maybe it is, maybe it isn't," replied Green, shrugging her shoulders. "You gotta buy it to find out."

"No deal," he told her, shaking his head. "Nice try, Green. Guess you're not as good as you—"

"So you _don't_ want this Poké Ball?" she asked, throwing a pouty look in Gary's direction. _"Gare-bear!"_

"Ye—I mean, no—I mean, how much is it?" Green smiled, succeeding in proving her point.

"Oh, I'll cut you a deal, cutie," she answered, winking. "_Normally_ it'd go for about five thousand Pokédollars, but for you, I'll make it three."

"Well, you drive a hard bargain, but I think I'm gonna have to… _decline."_

"That'll be three thousand Pokédo—wait, did you just _decline_ my offer?" She asked incredulously, gaping over at him in amazement. She couldn't believe he'd resisted her charm so easily! He'd shrugged it off like it was nothing more than an overcoat on a warm summer day; it was the most normal thing in the world for him to turn down a pretty girl.

Gary nodded, smirking triumphantly. Leaf grunted, finding ample amusement in the whole conversation she'd been overhearing.

"You're good, Green, but face it. _I'm_ better. You scam by using your flirty attitude to persuade your customer. It doesn't work on me, because I know that, not to mention I'm a bit of a flirt myself," he explained, winking back.

Leaf snorted. _Bit_ was an understatement, in her opinion.

"But seriously, where did you get that?" He gestured at the golden Poké Ball still resting between her fingers.

Green shrugged her shoulders. "Swiped it from some guy who kept trying to con people out of their money for a Magikarp."

"So you're a thief, too?" wondered Gary, raising an eyebrow.

Green's face flushed a fierce red. "No, well, yes, er, I used to be. I'm not anymore…" she trailed off, hanging her head so he couldn't see the shame evident on her face.

Gary smirked. She was so _different_ to be with compared to Leaf. Normally, Leaf would've just gotten angry and stomped away, but with Green, he'd seen nearly every emotion in the book with just one conversation: anxiety, embarrassment, anger, sadness, and the usual happiness that came with her flirty attitude. She was definitely interesting, to say the least.

"Hello, you guys? Come on! We've got too long to go to be standing around like a bunch of Xatu," snapped Leaf, bringing Gary back from his own thoughts and dragging Green away from her embarrassment. Apparently she'd given the PokéGear back to Professor Oak, as he was having a somewhat intense conversation with Elm while ambling slowly toward Mauville City.

"Oh, yeah, right. We're heading to Slateport and taking a ferry from there, aren't we?" Green asked, thankful for the interruption.

Leaf nodded grudgingly, giving Green an eerie "go-to-heck" look she didn't quite understand. "We should get to Slateport before dark and we'll take the ferry overnight to New Bark Town. But only if we quit being a bunch of Slakoth and actually start walking," she pointed out, sticking her tongue out at Gary, who rolled his eyes and laughed.

"_Right_. Well then let's go, Leafy," he told her, winking at Green, taking Leaf's hand in his own, and practically dragging her toward his grandfather.

"Gary! Stop it!" Leaf screeched, attempting to jerk her hand away, but he refused to let go.

"_Make_ me," he retorted, smirking over at her.

Green sighed, shaking her head in amusement and treading closely behind the two. _They're just too cute together!_ she thought, rolling her eyes. _If only Leaf would quit being such a sour Persian about it and just accept the fact that he's _so_ into her._

"Well, thanks for the call, Elm. I really do appreciate it," Oak told him, glancing back at the three preteens who were no longer at a standstill. "See you soon."

"You too, Professor."

_Click._

"Well, that was an interesting call. Wouldn't you say so, Pika?" Pika nodded, having heard most of Green's conversation with Gary, who sure looked a lot like Blue, as well as noticing Leaf's fake indifference toward the whole thing. Leaf wasn't near as emotional or as flirty as Green, but she clearly had a crush on Gary, despite how much she acted like she hated him. Plus, she bore a striking resemblance to the scam artist herself.

The conversation between the two professors was also somewhat interesting, despite being unable to understand most of it, since he still had no idea what this prophecy was and how on earth it had anything to do with Green, Red, or Blue. "Pikapi!" he exclaimed, excited to have found two of his Trainer friends.

"Pika, looks like you'll have your Trainer back in no time," Elm told him, ruffling his fur and standing to his feet.

"Pikapi! Pi pi pikachu!" he shouted happily, following the professor's lead.

_Now all that's left is to find Blue!_

* * *

"Whoa, this festival is _huge_," Blue noted, glancing around at the numerous buildings adorned in Poké Balloons, streamers, and various other decorations, as well as watching the tons of rainbow confetti riding the salty sea breeze. "It looks like it covers the entire _city!_"

"It does," Brock told him, glancing down at a pamphlet he'd received upon entering the metropolis. "The actual competitions are being held…" he trailed off, staring down at the pamphlet's map of Goldenrod City. "Here." He pointed at the building in front of them, a glass dome much resembling the Xanadu Nursery, only instead of being able to view what lay inside like they had been able to at the plant nursery, the glass was nearly opaque. A silver banner was draped above the glass double doors that read "Grand Festival!" in bold gold lettering, letting the travelers know they'd found the right place.

"So this is what you were talking about?" Blue asked, raising an eyebrow. "What do they do, battle or something?"

Ash facepalmed. Blue really was clueless when it came to contests in general.

"Well, kind of," Brock told him, putting a hand to his chin. "First they'll have an appeals round, where the contestants try to impress the judges with their Pokémon. Then the ones that are picked go on to the battle round, where they'll be given a time limit and a set amount of points. Whoever runs the opponent's points out first or has the most points left by the time the clock runs out moves on to the next match."

"Oh. So it's kind of like a fancier version of battling?" asked Blue, scratching his head in confusion.

"If you wanna look at it that way," Ash answered, shrugging his shoulders. He then noticed a certain gravity-defying brunette in his peripheral vision and tried to wave her over. "May! Over here!" he called, throwing his hands in the air to catch her attention.

She was too busy arguing with yet another familiar face, her grassheaded rival Drew Hayden, to notice.

"You're just jealous because _I_ caught one and you didn't," the boy retorted, spinning a red-and-white Poké Ball on his finger as the trio made their way over to the quarreling couple.

"No way! I caught that Natu fair and square!" she screamed, crossing her arms and turning away without even so much as acknowledging her friends' appearance. Drew sighed in frustration.

"We both threw a Poké Ball at it, May. Mine was just the one to catch it," he pointed out, smirking. "But I'll tell you what. Whoever makes it farther in the Grand Festival today gets to keep it. Sound fair enough to you?"

May huffed. Of course _he'd_ turn it into a competition. "But—"

"What? Scared you're gonna lose, June?" he teased, waving the Poké Ball in her direction.

May snorted. "Not at all, _Grasshead._ It's a deal," replied May through clenched teeth. That's when she noticed their little audience of three. "Ash! Brock!"

She ran over to them and demanded a group hug. "Wha—how'd you get here?" she asked, glancing over at the other brunet with them. "Gary Oak?" Blue shook his head. How many times would he be mistaken for that boy?

"Blue," he corrected, frowning. "And you are?"

"Oh, I'm May!" she told him, "and this grasshead beside me is Drew." She jabbed a thumb in his direction, earning a glare from her flirty rival.

"Fighting as usual, I see," Brock commented, chuckling at the two. "And you're still not dating?"

"What?! N-no!" exclaimed May, her face flushing a bright shade of crimson. Drew offered no reply, instead turning to May and rolling his eyes.

"Don't I wish, Brock?" he asked, winking. "Oh well, I'm off. Good luck as usual, since that's all you _ever_ rely on anyway." He was referring to her many instances of using Metronome or Assist in the middle of a contest, both moves offering completely random and always unpredictable results. He considered this very brash and irresponsible, as it could just as easily give her a loss as it would a win.

"Drew!" But before she could offer a snappy retort, he pivoted on his heel and strolled away toward the double doors of the dome-shaped building. "Ugh! That stupid grasshead! I'm gonna beat him if it's the last thing I do!"

"So, May," Ash started awkwardly, trying to veer away from her impending death threats. "Shouldn't you be registering for the Festival? Appeals start pretty soon."

May raised an eyebrow at the raven-haired boy. "I've already signed in, Ash. I was just coming back from the Pokémon Center when I ran into Olive-brain here," she remarked, glaring in the direction Drew had disappeared in and sighing. "But I guess you're right. If I don't go now there won't be enough time to get ready for the first round."

"Well, good luck, May! We'll be rooting for you all the way!" Ash exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air.

"Yeah, you bet, Ash," she told him, giving a thumbs up before taking off in the direction Drew went. "See you guys later!"

Brock rolled his eyes. "Always on the run. We should probably go find seats before they're all gone," he commented, glancing at the entrance that was slowly being ambushed by fans and spectators from all corners of the Johto Region (as well as the few outside the area, namely Brock, Ash, and Blue).

"Sounds good to me. Ready to see your first Grand Festival, Blue?"

Blue shrugged his shoulders in reply. "I guess."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Ash darted toward the doors, followed at a more leisurely pace by the breeder and his fellow fourteen-year-old Trainer.

"Ash is pretty eager to see her, isn't he?" Blue noted, nodding in the boy's direction.

"Yeah, but Ash is _always_ eager to watch a Pokémon battle—"

"But clearly she likes the other boy," Blue pointed out, sorting out his own thoughts rather than paying attention to Brock's answer.

Brock sighed. "They're just friends, Blue. You don't gotta read into it so much," he told him, clapping the boy on the back. "He's too oblivious to have feelings for _anyone. _The closest he's come was when we traveled with someone else. Someone who's had her eye on him ever since."

"Misty, right?" Blue asked, smirking.

Brock raised an eyebrow. "Lucky guess?"

"She's the only other girl Ash talked about the entire ferry ride, Brock. I'd be blind, dumb, and deaf not to notice," he remarked, giving the breeder a blank look.

Brock smiled, realizing how right Blue was. "Well, you get used to it after a while." They'd finally reached the door, and upon walking inside, Blue observed how much smaller it looked from the outside. They were standing in a large glass corridor that encircled the inside of the building, dotted by colorful stalls of the newest Pokémon Merchandise owned by collectors and various other Trainer-types. Decorations littered the place, plastering the walls and floors with banners, streamers, Poké Dolls, posters, and ribbons. A magenta-colored desk was placed in the front for Coordinators to register, and Drew was standing there alongside Ash, who seemed to be wishing the grasshead good luck.

As soon as Drew was registered, he walked off, leaving Ash to wait on Brock and Blue. "Where've you guys been? We gotta hurry or there won't be any seats left!" he exclaimed, and started toward one of the many entrances into the stadium, Blue and Brock yet again left trailing behind.

When they'd finally made it through one of the large stadium doors, Blue immediately started observing the area. The stadium was packed with row after row of spectators and fans, each ecstatically rooting for his or her favorite contestant. It was also littered with snack wrappers and half-empty cups and bottles, along with the occasional wads of bubble gum. He looked down, noticing that multiple multi-colored stages were set up for the Coordinators to perform on.

Brock noted how it was set up similarly to the Sinnoh Grand Festival, but with four contestants at a time making appeals instead of three. Most apparently they'd already begun appeals, as he saw Harley on one of the stages tossing out his Cacturne and Banette.

"You guys! Over here!" Ash called, waving a hand in the air for the two to notice him. He'd found enough seats only three rows away from the guardrails, and was standing beside a certain brainiac seven-year-old.

"Max! How'd you get here?" Brock wondered, making his way over to the raven-haired boy.

"Brock!" the kid exclaimed, running over to give his breeder friend a hug. "Uh, let's just say I caught a ride."

Brock raised an eyebrow, and looked up to find Professor Birch standing beside Ash in a friendly manner. "Professor Birch? How did you wind up at the Johto Grand Festival?"

The Hoenn professor scratched his head and sighed, an odd half-smile plastered on his face as he answered, "I wanted to see May perform today, is all." Brock could easily tell that there was more to it, but decided not to press the subject any further. "You must be Blue. I'm Professor Birch from the Hoenn region." He offered his hand, which Blue gladly accepted, and continued talking as they took the seats Ash had saved for them.

"I'm not sure if you're familiar with Hoenn, but—"

"No worries. I'm not as dense as Red is when it comes to different regions," Blue interrupted, waving the professor's explanation away.

"But Blue, you didn't even know more than a hundred and fifty Pokémon _existed_ before we had to ex—"

"I got it, Ash," he muttered through clenched teeth. _Make me look stupid, why don't you?_ he added, grimacing slightly as he glanced down at the appeals taking place in front of him. He didn't really understand the mechanics behind a contest, but he was pretty confused by the fact that the Pokémon weren't exactly _battling _each other.

"Hey, Brock, why aren't they—?" He stopped himself as he watched the gravity-defying brunette he'd met earlier take the stage. She was sporting a pink top that rose just above the midriff and was embroidered with a golden heart design, along with a flowing lilac skirt with similar golden embroidery along the waist of skirt. Atop her head was a peach veil with a golden circlet holding it in place and an emerald embedded in the center. Blue caught himself staring at her, thinking about how cute she looked in her Grand Festival outfit.

"Beautifly, Glaceon, take the stage!" she exclaimed, breaking Blue from his trance as she tossed the two Poké Balls in the air simultaneously. Out came the two graceful Pokémon, awaiting their Trainer's much practiced commands. "Glaceon, Ice Shard in the air!"

Glaceon did as it was told, opening its mouth and releasing hundreds of tiny shards into the air until they completely covered the area of her entire stage. The shards were reflecting the light from the sun cascading in through the glass dome, sparkling like little diamonds as they were fired into the air.

"Beautifly, use Psychic to control the ice shards and spin them around!" commanded May, watching her Beautifly streak across the stage into the center of the shards. Beautifly's eyes began to glow a light blue as she focused her move, as did the outline of every shard of ice Glaceon had shot into the air earlier. Once every shard had been lined in blue, Beautifly started to twirl them in the air around it, causing the sunlight to bounce off the shards in a haphazard, yet well-thought out manner. It almost looked like a disco ball, swirling the light in circles the way it did. Until Beautifly started spinning the shards in a more random pattern, making it almost impossible for the spectators to keep track.

"Glaceon, use Shadow Ball to break the ice!" Immediately, Glaceon opened its mouth and began to form a black and purple ball of energy in front of it. Once it thought the ball was big enough, it released it into the air, straight at Beautifly and the surrounding ice shards, just as planned. The shadow ball found its targets, enveloping the area surrounding Beautifly in smoke and shattering the shards into millions of tiny pieces that rained down on Glaceon and May. The glittering crystals literally looked like sparkles from the audience, which Blue noted had been the intended result all along. But where was Beautifly?

"Beautifly, Morning Sun as you fly through the crystals back to me!" The butterfly Pokémon began to glow amidst the smoke, its outline perfectly visible to its Trainer as well as the crowd. It flew out of the dissipating smoke and almost looked like it was dancing through the sparkles as it somersaulted and twisted and turned back to its Trainer. It eventually landed on May's head as May and Glaceon took a bow for their completed performance.

The portion of the crowd that had been watching her roared with approval as she walked offstage, a smug look of satisfaction on her face at the thought of outdoing Drew, who had appealed at the same time as she had on the blue stage opposite hers.

"Wow," Blue breathed, entranced by what he'd just witnessed. "So that's an appeal?"

Ash nodded, clapping for his friend who had just exited the arena. "Yeah, pretty cool, huh?"

Blue shrugged his shoulders. He still didn't like that the Pokémon weren't battling each other. "I guess. It isn't a Pokémon battle, but it was still kind of… interesting," he noted as Ash stood to leave the stadium. "Wait, where are you going?"

"Oh, we always go see May after the first round to wait for the results together," he explained, gesturing for Blue and the others to come with him. Max jumped up and followed without hesitation, while Brock and the professor came at a more leisurely pace. Blue decided to catch up with Ash and Max, and couldn't help but feel a bit excited to go see the gravity-defying brunette.

"So, how many people usually go on?" Blue asked, walking to the right of Ash with Max on the other side.

"Thirty-two contestants move on to the battle portion," Max stated, glancing over at the brunet and raising a suspicious eyebrow. "You mean you've never been to a contest before?"

Blue shook his head. "Never really appealed to me, I guess."

Max rolled his eyes, unconvinced by the Trainer that seemed almost as old as Brock, if not a year or two younger. After a few more minutes of navigating the corridors, Ash stumbled upon the area May and the other contestants were located, eagerly awaiting results from the appeals round.

"May! That was awesome!" Ash exclaimed, rushing over to give his Coordinator friend a high five. Max waved at his older sister, who gaped at him in surprise.

"Max? What are you doing here?" she wondered as a certain familiar professor came into view alongside her breeding companion Brock. "Professor?"

"May! Good to see you!" he exclaimed, strolling over to meet her. "An excellent job out there, by the way." May could tell something was up, but she couldn't quite put a finger on it. Professor Birch _never_ came to her contests, and Johto's Grand Festival shouldn't have been any different.

"Professor Birch! What are you doing here?" she asked coyly, watching his reaction.

"Well, Max wanted to come see you perform and your mother asked if I'd take him. I told her I'd wanted to come anyway and see how you were doing," he explained, smiling at her cautiously. She hadn't caught a lie in his voice, but she could tell there was an ulterior motive to his surprise appearance.

Before she could prod him any further, Ash exclaimed, "You guys! Look, the results!" May turned to face the big screen, scanning the contestants' faces for any sign of herself or one of her rivals. She immediately spotted Solidad at the top, whom she figured would breeze through appeals anyway. Next she spotted Drew, her grasshead rival who, while she'd never admit such a thing aloud, she knew was good enough to go all the way. She soon found Harley, another rival of hers from Hoenn, and finally found herself.

"I made it!" she screamed excitedly.

"Awesome, May! Good luck in the battle rounds! Who're you facing first?" Ash glanced up at the screen as it randomly mixed up the contestants and matched them with their opponents for the first battle round. May also watched it, paying careful attention to each of her rivals. So far, Drew was facing a blonde and Solidad was paired off with another chartreuse-haired Coordinator. But where was Harley?

That was when she found him. "Uh, May? Looks like you're facing Harley in the first round."

_Great. Just great,_ she thought, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. _Top Coordinator, here I come!_

* * *

**A/N: So, who do you think is gonna win the Johto Grand Festival?;) Also, I'd like to know if I portrayed Contestshipping correctly!^.^ I've never seen many of the Advanced Gen, and while I love the pairing, I wasn't really sure how to go about writing them in... And yayyyyy, they're finally finding each other!:D I'm probably more excited than some of you are! Lol Anyways, drop a review if you please, and I promise, Chapter 4 is definitely gonna bring in a crucial part of the plot, as opposed to a lot of these fillers I've been doing. :D Thanks to all who have read and liked this story so far!^.^**


	4. The Omega Pokémon

**Chapter 4: The Omega Pokémon**

"Update on the location of Pokémon X?" asked the shady head of Team Rocket as he meticulously stroked his Persian's fur.

"Well, sir, after analyzing the data on Arceus brought back by Rockets Jessie and James, we've gotten an initial idea of what we're looking for. Arceus gives off an entirely unique aura from anything we've seen so far, and we're certain that Pokémon X gives off the exact same aura, given that they _are_ the polar opposites of each other," the researcher replied, pulling out a notepad full of geometric equations, trigonometric measurements, possible coordinates, as well as Arceus's chromosome data.

"Do you have a location yet, Cray?" Giovanni inquired of the redheaded Rocket as he took the proffered pad. He glanced down at it, acting as though he knew exactly what he were reading, but in truth he only saw a jumble of countless numbers and shapes that meant precisely nothing to him.

"Sir, if you look there, we've at least narrowed down Pokémon X to four possible locations," Researcher Cray answered, pulling out a map of the various Pokémon regions and setting it down on the boss's large oak table. "First, we have the Ruins of Alph and its surrounding routes in Johto, since we've received a great amount of Legendary activity there. Next, we have Mount Moon in Kanto, because of its tendency to house extraterrestrial life such as this. Then we have Spear Pillar in Sinnoh, for the most obvious reasons, seeing as Arceus is a Sinnoh legend anyway. And finally, we have Mirage Island in Hoenn, an island almost as rare as Pokémon X itself."

"So you're saying after all the time spent on this project, you haven't come up with _one_ absolute location of Pokémon X?" Giovanni prodded, cocking an eyebrow in Researcher Cray's direction. Clearly Giovanni wasn't very pleased with the news; after all, time was running out to find out the Legendary Pokémon they were searching for.

"Well, sir, it seems that Pokémon X may be able to teleport, and by doing so it makes it increasingly harder to track. These four locations are most recently visited as well as most often spotted," Cray pointed out, retrieving his notepad back from the boss.

Giovanni sighed. He supposed it would have to do for now. "We'll post a team of Rockets at each location. In fact, send in Jessie and James. I have an… important request for those two. I also want Butch and Cassidy shipped off to Kanto immediately, along with Annie and Oakley to Hoenn, and Attila and Hun to Sinnoh. They can take a few of the others if need be, but no more than four."

Cray nodded. "I'll let them know right now. Thank you, sir." With that, Cray disappeared behind the double doors leading to the boss's office, and in his place came the two Rockets that Giovanni had requested, along with their talking Meowth.

"You asked for us, sir?" Jessie asked, glancing around the room precariously to avoid making eye contact with the boss. It was incredibly dark and mostly sparse, save for a single light emanating from the center of the room, the boss's throne-sized redwood chair, and a large oak table in the center with a map of the Pokémon World rolled out onto it. Empty light sockets adorned the mostly bare walls, and the floor was mostly made up of white ceramic tile.

James gulped, glancing over at his magenta-haired partner nervously. Either the boss was mad, or he had a new mission for them to take; with them it usually ended up being the former. And Giovanni being mad never ended well.

"We may have located an extremely rare Pokémon in the Johto region, and I'm sending you three to search for it. We'll have more information on it given to you before you depart. It's supposedly located near or in the Ruins of Alph." He waited for the trio to look toward him before continuing, as they currently seemed preoccupied with examining the room's décor. When Jessie finally met the Boss's gaze, he began his explanation once more. "With that being said, there's another reason I brought you here. Recently there have been unusual reports of mass amounts of energy gathered in various spots on our radar, and I need you three to figure out what they are and apprehend the persons responsible. Do you understand?"

The trio nodded. "But Boss? Who da ya tink was behind all dat energy stuff?" Meowth wondered, scratching his head. "I mean, if we has an idea ta go by, we might be able ta find 'em quicker."

"Meowth, I want to say it's been caused by portals from a parallel dimension, because the energy resembles the same energy given off by Giratina's portals to the Distortion World," Cray explained, having returned from giving the boss's orders to the other thieving duos. "There's four so far, one for each region. Here, I'll use the same map I showed the Boss for the possible locations of Pokémon X." He casually strolled over to the table once more, followed by Jessie, James, and Meowth, and began pointing at the various markings he'd made on it. "See, one portal appeared on Route 4 in Kanto, another on Route 112 in Hoenn, a third off the coast of Sinnoh, and a fourth on Route 29 in Johto."

"Wait, weren't we just at Route 29, Meowth?" Jessie inquired, raising an eyebrow at her talking Pokémon companion.

Meowth nodded. "Dat's where I found da Pikachu at!" _Wait a second. Didn't Pika say he was in Saffron before he showed up in Johto?_ "Jessie, I tink I know who da culprit is."

Jessie grunted. "And we had to give him up right before we came here, too," she muttered, having been on the same train of thought as the talking Pokémon.

"Guess this means we're heading to New Bark Town," James pointed out, sighing in exasperation and running his fingers through his indigo hair.

"You mean you've already found one of the culprits?" Cray asked, green eyes shining in amazement as he took in what the trio was discussing.

"Well, we tink we know where one is, anyways," Meowth explained as Cray rolled up the map of the Pokémon World and put it away. "And it's on our way ta da Ruins da Boss was talkin' about."

Cray gaped at the talking Pokémon in amazement. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "If that's the case, you'd best get going," he finally told them, rolling up his map and pushing the trio toward the glass double doors. "Wouldn't want to keep the Boss waiting, eh?"

Upon being put out of the Boss's office, Meowth gave Jessie a pensive look. "But Jessie, if Pika happens ta be one of dose guys, den wouldn't dat Red guy he was lookin' for also be one of 'em?"

Jessie thought about it a moment before replying, "Well, Meowth, you could be right. But that means Red is either in Kanto, Hoenn, or Sinnoh. Then again, Elm might've already found him, so if he has, it'll be just like catching two Pidgey with one Poké Ball."

"But Jessie, how is da tree a us supposed ta convince Pika ta come back wid us?" Meowth asked as they turned the corner leading to one of the many corridors inside Team Rocket Headquarters.

"Who said we had to convince him of anything, Meowth? We're thieves, not negotiators. Cutting a deal with that electric furball is what got us into this mess to begin with," Jessie pointed out, rolling her eyes and flicking her hair back. "Besides, it's not like the Boss asked us to get rid of him. He just asked us to apprehend the little fella before things get out of hand."

However, even Jessie could tell that it was odd for Giovanni to _willingly_ send them after a seemingly harmless Pokémon like Pika. In fact, it was a wonder he'd gone along with their many escapades to capture Ash's Pikachu over the past year or so. Something was definitely wrong with the big picture, but the trio was too stubbornly prideful to acknowledge the fact that Giovanni hadn't disclosed any information as to _why_ they were sent after the Pikachu in the first place. After turning down yet another ostensibly endless corridor, the trio finally reached front rotating door, where a lone researcher awaited them with a large manila envelope in his right gloved hand.

"Cray asked you to give this to us?" James inquired, directing his attention at the young blonde with thick rectangular glasses covering his baby blue eyes. The young researcher nodded, handing James the thick envelope and waiting for the blunet to unravel its contents.

"Everything you need should be there," the researcher explained as James undid the latch and opened the envelope to sift through what was inside. While he immediately noticed a lump sum of Pokédollars secured by a rubber band and a map of the Johto Region, his eyes particularly caught sight of a file labeled _Pokémon_ _X_. He pulled the file out to reveal what looked like a Pokédex entry for a Pokémon named _Onio_.

"So this is the Legendary Pokémon the Boss was talking about?" Jessie asked, looking over James's shoulder at the file. "It doesn't look very legendary to me." In truth, she was right; the Pokémon didn't look extraordinary enough to be called a legend.

As a matter of fact, it more resembled a cuddly Teddiursa doll than anything else, but its stats, classification, type, and in-depth description quickly led her to believe otherwise. It was a light, almost transparent blue, with curved green ears and green-tipped hands and feet. At the center of its forehead lay a tiny yellow crescent facing upward, and its eyes were the deepest shade of violet Jessie had ever seen. "It looks like a little kid's Pokémon Doll," she remarked, frowning as she took in its appearance.

"Da Omega Pokémon," Meowth read, having climbed in between his two partners to have a look for himself. "Its special ability is Multitype, meanin' it can use dose plates dat Arceus has ta change its type. Height, one foot, and weight, fifteen pounds. Da description says, 'Dis Pokémon is da Legendary opposite a Arceus, da Alpha Pokémon. While Arceus wields da power ta create an entire universe, dis Pokémon holds da key ta destroy it.'"

Meowth glanced back and forth between the two Rockets, amazement quite apparent on the talking Pokémon's face. "So dis is da Pokémon da Boss is sendin' us afta? Wowza, dat's a surprise! I knew dat stuff on Arceus would come in handy!"

"You're telling me," Jessie mumbled, glancing back at the manila envelope with the rest of their provisions for the mission. By then, the young researcher had taken his leave, disappearing down the corridor, undoubtedly heading back in the direction of HQ's laboratory.

"Well, we betta get going, you guys," Meowth said, hopping off the duo's shoulders and making his way toward the door. "If we don't get outta here soon, Pika might already be gone." Jessie and James nodded, agreeing with the talking Pokémon, and quickly followed suit in the direction of their hot air balloon. "Ya betta get ready, Pika, 'cause here we come!"

* * *

"We have now arrived at Goldenrod City," a lady called over the intercom of the magnet train Red and Misty were seated on. "We hope you enjoyed the ride, and have a wonderful time at this year's Johto Grand Festival!"

"Great. Thanks a lot, perky lady," Misty muttered as she rose to her feet. She glanced over at Red, who'd decided to take a nap on the way over (though it possibly couldn't have been longer than thirty minutes, due to the magnet train's intense speeds). Misty sighed and clucked her tongue impatiently. "Red, are you gonna sleep all day or are we gonna find that Pikachu of yours?!" she snapped, whacking him on the head with her mallet.

"Wha—Ouch! Talk about a rude awakening! What in Mew's name was that for, Misty?!" he barked, rubbing at the bump she'd left on the crown of his head.

"Hmph," she grunted, rolling her eyes. "Shouldn't have been snoozing on the train. Now get up; we're here."

"Already? No way! How fast is this thing?" Red wondered, glancing around at the vacating train and watching people walk out the various exits.

"I dunno, Red. Do I look like a train expert?" Misty countered, giving Red a blank expression. "I'd say about two hundred miles an hour, I guess."

Red sat there, mouth agape as he took in what she was saying. "Seriously?! Wow!" he exclaimed as Misty started to walk away. "Hey, where are you going?"

"Well, if you wanna sit there another hour more power to you, but I'm getting off and heading to the Grand Festival," she replied, not bothering to glance back at the raven-haired boy; she knew he would tag along eventually.

Red sighed. Of course she'd be excited to go that Grand Festival thing she kept talking about; that Ash kid was bound to be there somewhere. He stood up and within a few steps closed the distance between Misty and himself. "You're just ready to see that Ash kid," he muttered, and the look she'd given him was enough to make even Mewtwo beg for mercy.

"Say one more thing about Ash and I beat you senseless with an even bigger mallet than the one I've been using," she threatened, to which Red stuck his tongue out in reply.

_Mother of Mew, how many mallets can one ten-year-old girl possibly have?_ he wondered, closing his mouth before Misty noticed what he was doing behind her back. Within minutes they were off the magnet train and heading toward the Grand Festival; according to her watch they'd make it just in time for the third battle round. "So, could you explain to me what a Grand Festival is before we go inside?" Red asked, eyeing the redhead warily.

He knew asking too much would lead to an unsightly case of mallet fever, but this wasn't the case; instead, she nodded and willingly explained what she and Tracey had been talking about earlier. _Gee, with this Ash guy so close by, she's starting to act completely different. Almost like a playful Growlithe, as opposed to a growling Arcanine ready to pounce on the next thing it sees. Heh, de-evolution,_ he thought, a smile gracing his lips as he thought about the comparison he'd just made.

"Red, were you paying attention at all?" inquired Misty, to which Red nodded violently in reply.

"'Course I was, Misty! Appeals are where they show off what their Pokémon can do and if they make it past that they get to battle their way to the top, kinda like the Indigo Plateau!"

Misty sighed. "I guess, if you wanna look at it that way," she muttered as they reached the double glass doors to the stadium. "Well, this is it."

Red glanced over the building in amazement, having not seen one quite like it before. "Wow, it's huge!" he commented as he glanced up at the silver banner that had _Grand Festival!_ scrawled across it in loopy gold lettering.

"Ahhhhh!" he heard a scream from above, and right as he looked up to see what it was, something struck him, knocking him to the ground.

"Red!" Misty screamed. "Are you okay?!" She knelt down beside Red, who appeared fine other than the fact that he'd just been slammed to the ground and probably gained a minor concussion.

"Ngh," he mumbled, trying to sit up. "What in the world just hit me?" he asked, opening his eyes and glancing down at the light blue furball protruding from his chest.

"Tee hee, I'm such a klutz! Thanks for breaking my fall, mister!" he heard a light, childlike voice exclaim.

"Uh, no problem?" Red replied dubiously, scratching his head and wincing in pain as he did so. "Who are you?"

"Whoops! Silly me! I forgot to introduce myself! I'm Onio!" the little voice answered as the blue furball unfurled to reveal its violet eyes and a crescent mark on the little Pokémon's forehead. "And what's your name, Mister?"

"Well, I'm… My name is… Uh, Misty? A little help here?" _Hm, how could I forget my own name?_

"So your name is Misty? That's not really a boy's name," the Pokémon remarked, frowning poutily in Red's direction.

"No, no, Onio, his name's Red," Misty explained, sighing. How could he forget his own name like that? It didn't make sense to her, even if he was slightly concussed.

"Oh, so you must be Misty! That makes way more sense!" the Pokémon squealed in delight, clapping joyfully at its observation. That was when Misty noticed that the Pokémon hadn't moved its mouth to speak.

_It must be using telepathy,_ she deduced, putting a hand to her chin and smiling amusedly. She had to admit, the Pokémon was about as adorable as the Togepi she used to carry around, even acting as childish as her old baby Pokémon, it seemed.

"Well, Onio, could you get off me now? I'm kind of stuck here," Red pointed out, gesturing at the fact that Onio was splayed out across his chest.

Onio gasped and immediately began to apologize. "Oh, Red! I'm so so sorry! I forgot I was even sitting on you!" it exclaimed, jumping off of Red and landing almost perfectly on the ground. As soon as Onio perfected its balance, Misty started to help Red up.

"You okay, Red?" she asked, worry prevalent in her sea foam green eyes.

_Wow, she's actually worried about me,_ Red thought, a smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. "Yeah, I'm good. Not even a scratch."

_Bam!_ She whacked him on the head with her mallet, possibly further concussing the teenage boy.

"Ouch, Misty! What was _that_ for?!" he screamed, rubbing at the sore spot; it'd even been the same spot she'd hit last time. Obviously she'd hit it on purpose. "What if I have a concussion?!"

"Oh dear, you probably do, since I hit you so hard," Onio said, frowning slightly at the thought.

"Don't scare me like that again, Red! And to think I was worried about you!" Misty exclaimed, fury replacing the worry he'd seen moments ago in her eyes.

"Well, _excuse_ me for saying I was okay. I'm probably not now, though," he countered, rolling his eyes and turning to face Onio. "So, what was such a cute little Pokémon like you doing falling out of the sky like that?"

"Oh, you think I'm cute?" Onio asked, blushing slightly. "Well, you see, I was trying to get away from these baddies, this guy with funny looking blue hair, and this lady with blonde hair sticking out on both sides like this"—Onio stuck its hands out from its head to display gravity-defying hair, much like a certain brunette's Misty knew—"so I tried teleporting to the Ruins of Alph, this awesome place I like to go to to talk to all my Unown friends, but I ended up here instead by accident."

Misty glanced over at Red, an amused look on her face. Onio was quite the chatterbox, but she couldn't say she wasn't enjoying every bit of it. "Hm, those two sound familiar," she remarked, scratching her head. Where had she seen a blonde and blunet working together?

"I sure hope not. I don't ever wanna see them, ever again!" Onio exclaimed, jumping into Misty's arms. "Misty, could I stay with you for a while in case those bad guys show up again? I mean, I'm sure I could beat them, but they had a bunch of other people with them! It was _so _scary, Misty!" Onio looked up at Misty, a pouty expression on its face and tears welling up in its extraordinary violet eyes.

"Well, I can't really say no to that, now can I?" Misty answered, smiling down at the doleful little Pokémon. "You can stay with me, Onio. However long you need to."

Onio's expression immediately changed from gloomy to joyful as it leaped with excitement. "Yay! Tee hee hee, I knew you'd say yes, Misty! Thank you so so so much!" Onio shouted, dancing around happily in the air at the good news it'd received.

_Hm, so it can float too,_ Misty noted, sighing. _I have a feeling that this might not be the best idea…_

"Misty, are we gonna go see this Grand Festival thing or what?" Red asked, waving a hand in the redhead's face to grab her attention.

"Oh, yeah, Grand Festival," Misty said, snapping back into reality. "I almost forgot. Onio, have you seen a Grand Festival before?"

Onio shook its head, frowning dolefully at Misty as it answered, "No, I don't think so. What is it?"

"Well, I guess I'll just have to show the both of you," Misty replied. "Come on, Onio. It'll probably be easier to understand if you see for yourself."

"Okay, Misty!" Onio exclaimed happily, jumping into Misty's arms and nuzzling against her chest. Arceus, it was such a little kid. Misty sighed and made her way inside, followed shortly after by Red, who observed every single thing he could find. They soon reached the inner stadium, where the battling was taking place, and Misty immediately noticed that Drew was one of the contestants on the field, battling his fellow rival and old friend Solidad.

Misty glanced around, wondering how on earth she was going to find Ash in such a large crowd when Red shouted, "Blue! What are you doing here?!" Misty's attention snapped in the direction of the boy in question, just to find him sitting beside two familiar raven-haired boys, a professor, and Brock.

"Red?" Blue inquired, cocking his head to the side. "What are you doing with Misty?"

"Misty? Where?" Ash wondered, directing his attention at the conversation taking place.

"She brought me here to find Pika," Red explained as he strolled over to his rival.

"Oh, so you're the Red Blue mentioned earlier?" Ash prodded, to which Red shrugged his shoulders in reply. How was he supposed to know if Blue had been talking about him?

"You mean you _lost_ one of your Pokémon?" Blue asked, giving Red a blank look.

"That's what I said!" Misty exclaimed, rolling her eyes as she made her way toward her raven-haired friend.

"Hey, it's not my fault that crazy ball of light dropped us in different places," Red retorted, taking a seat beside Blue.

Blue rolled his eyes and abruptly dropped the conversation, deciding instead to pay attention to Ash and Misty's reunion.

"Ash!" she called to him, coming up to stand behind his seat.

"Misty!" he shouted in reply, smiling up at his old friend. "How did you get here?"

"We took the magnet train from Saffron so we could come get Red's Pikachu from Professor Elm," she explained, sighing. "Arceus knows how it ended up there."

"Oh, I see," Ash replied, his chocolate eyes growing wide as he noticed the little furball nestled between Misty's arms. "What kinda Pokémon is _that?"_

"Well, um—"

"Tee hee hee, my name's Onio!" the Pokémon exclaimed, opening its violet eyes to meet Ash's chocolate gaze. "And you're Ash, aren't you?"

Ash nodded, shocked not only that the Pokémon knew his name, but also by the fact that it could even _speak._ "Hm, never seen you before. Let's see what the Pokédex has to say about you," Ash said, but Onio quickly stopped him.

"Oh, I wouldn't bother with that thing; I'm probably not even in it!" it shouted, shaking its head.

Professor Birch shook his head, agreeing with the little Pokémon. "Onio's right, Ash. I've seen the updated Sinnoh Dex and its nowhere in the system," he remarked, staring at the Pokémon in amazement.

Max also looked surprised, having also seen the updated list of Pokémon and not having a clue where Onio came from. "Wow. You're a pretty cool little Pokémon," he commented, smiling up at it. "Can I see it, Misty?"

"It's up to Onio," she answered as the little Pokémon jumped into Max's arms.

"And what's your name, mister?" it asked, glancing up at the eight-year-old.

"The name's Max, Onio," he told it, pushing his glasses up out of habit.

"Well, Max, you're a pretty cool little person," Onio pointed out, mimicking Max's compliment before jumping right back into Misty's arms.

Max almost seemed disappointed that it'd jumped away, but the compliment seemed to make up for it. "So, who all is left?" Misty asked, taking a seat beside Ash and directing her attention to the battle taking place and the amount of points left on the scoreboard; Drew and Solidad were neck in neck, with Solidad ahead by no more than a few points and only thirty seconds to go.

"May won the last round so she's definitely moving on to the finals and is gonna face either Drew or Solidad," Ash explained, also turning his attention back to the battle at hand. "Probably Solidad."

"See, Onio? This is what a Grand Festival is," Misty pointed out as Onio observed the area around them. "Pokémon Coordinators from all over the region come to compete for the title of Top Coordinator."

Onio didn't look very happy to be watching the battle; in fact, it looked almost sorrowful that the battle was even happening to begin with. "So you guys battle with innocent Pokémon to prove who's better than who? That isn't very fair to the Pokémon, if you ask me," Onio remarked poutily, crossing its arms and shutting its eyes defiantly.

"You make us sound like slave drivers when you put it that way, Onio," Ash said, glancing down at the upset Pokémon. "I mean, I'm sure not _every_ Pokémon wants to fight, but I know mine want to prove they're strong just as much as I do. Take Pikachu, for example. He's perfectly happy battling for me, and not because he has to; he does it because he wants to. He's my best friend, right, little buddy?"

Pikachu nodded. "Pikapi!"

Onio opened its eyes long enough to meet Ash's, and at once saw the same sense of justice in the young Trainer's eyes that it felt in its own heart. "You see, I'd never make a Pokémon battle that didn't want to do it, Onio. I'm sure some people would, but that's their fault for not understanding what it's like to be friends with Pokémon."

"Well, I guess when you put it that way… But I still don't like it," Onio answered, sticking its tongue out at Ash.

Pikachu sighed, hoping Ash wouldn't take that as a challenge. But of course he would. "Onio, I challenge you to a battle then. After the Grand Festival's over, anywhere you want."

Onio shook its head. "I don't like battling, Ash. Please don't make me do it! I don't like hurting other Pokémon!" It gave Ash its signature pouty face, earning a whine of disapproval from the ten-year-old.

"But Onio, can't we just do a one-on-one? You and Pikachu, and that's it. Come on," Ash begged, to which Onio sighed in reply.

"Fine, but I can't promise I'm not gonna hurt your Pikachu. And only if Pikachu agrees to it," Onio stated, gesturing at the little yellow mouse.

"Of course Pikachu will agree. Won't you, little buddy?"

Pikachu nodded; he loved accepting battle challenges from any Pokémon, just like his Trainer. "Pikapi! Pikachu!"

"Okay then. Right after the Grand Festival I'll take you to my favorite place and we'll battle there," Onio answered, smiling somewhat dolefully at the Trainer and his Pikachu.

"You got it, Onio!" Right as he said that, the crowd erupted in excitement; apparently the arduous battle between Drew and his rival had finally ended. _But who won? _Ash thought as his gaze wandered over to the scoreboard, where a lone picture of Drew was displayed along with his leftover points and the caption of "Winner!" scrawled across the bottom. "So Drew's gonna face May in the final battle," Ash remarked, smirking at the thought.

"Makes me wonder who's gonna win that Pokémon they were fighting over," Blue pointed out as the applause started to die down.

"Oh yeah, the Natu," Ash remembered, chuckling lightly. "Even if May loses, Drew'll probably end up giving it to her with another one of his roses for her Beautifly."

"You still think those roses were for her Beautifly?" Misty asked, giving Ask a blank look. "You're just as _dense_ as you used to be."

"Well, who else could they be for, Misty?" quipped Ash, glancing over at his friend. "I mean, he doesn't like May enough to give her a rose after every single contest."

Misty sighed. "Oh yeah, because he really loves giving a _Bug Pokémon_ roses every time he sees it."

"Just because you don't like Bug Pokémon doesn't mean he can't," Ash retorted, sticking his tongue out at her.

Misty roller her eyes and gave Brock a look that said, _is he really being serious?_

Brock laughed, shaking his head in amusement. "Ash, Misty's right. Those roses were for May to begin with."

At his confirmation, Ash's eyes widened in amazement. "No way! Seriously?"

Misty facepalmed. He was absolutely hopeless. Red and Blue and even Max couldn't help but agree. Professor Birch was too busy writing down information about his latest find (Onio) to notice. "Well, they're about to start," Misty pointed out, ending the pointless conversation and directing her attention to the battlefield.

Drew stood on one side, with his chartreuse hair slicked back and sporting a black and white tuxedo. May stood on the other, with the same outfit she'd worn earlier and grasping two red Poké Balls in her hands.

"We've got five minutes on the clock. Contestants, begin!" the announcer called, her high soprano voice ringing throughout the entire stadium.

"Blaziken, Wartortle, take the stage!" May exclaimed, throwing out the Kanto and Hoenn starters.

Drew smirked. So those are the two Pokémon she planned on using. And Drew knew just how to counter it. "Absol, Roserade, stage on!"

"Wartortle, use Ice Beam on Roserade!" May commanded, pointing at the rose Pokémon. Suddenly, a ball of blue light appeared in front of Wartortle's mouth, and it began to shoot beams of ice at its opponent.

"Roserade, use Magical Leaf to break the ice!" Drew countered. Roserade nodded, holding its bouquet hands out; they were quickly bathed in a white light and out shot hundreds of glowing leaves, aimed straight at the ice beams. Roserade hit its targets with ease, causing the beams to burst into bright sparkles and immediately bringing May's points down a notch. "Now, Absol, use Water Pulse on Blaziken!"

Absol became outlined in blue as a wave of water formed around it and was pushed toward Blaziken. "Blaziken, Sky Uppercut on the ground to fly out of the way!" May called as Blaziken's fists began to glow a light blue. Blaziken punched down, launching itself into the air and narrowly missing Water Pulse's attack. "Now, Wartortle, use Rapid Spin and aim straight for Roserade! Blaziken, Fire Spin around Wartortle once it withdraws!"

Wartortle did as it was told, retracting its limbs and spinning straight toward Roserade. Blaziken also obeyed and shot a carefully aimed spiral of fire at its partner, surrounding the shell in flames as it hit Roserade dead on. Roserade was thrown backward, plummeting Drew's points to right below May's. "Roserade, you okay?" Drew asked as Roserade struggled to get to its feet.

"Rose, Roserade!" it replied, grimacing as it took its place once again beside Absol.

"Okay, Absol, use Flash to blind your opponents, and Roserade, prepare your Solarbeam!" Drew commanded, watching as Absol's forehead began to glow and Roserade's bouquets began gathering in sunlight. Luckily, the roofing was made completely of windows, and the sun was incredibly bright out, so charging Solarbeam would take less than ten seconds.

"Wartortle, Withdraw, now! And Blaziken, Mega Kick Wartortle at Absol!" While Wartortle could very easily use its defensive move, Blaziken was left blinded by Absol's Flash and couldn't see to move.

"Roserade, Solarbeam on Wartortle, now!" Roserade released the white ball of light, hitting Wartortle's shell and slamming it against the wall, further plunging May's points and bringing her even with Drew with only three minutes to go.

"Wartortle, no!" May exclaimed as the Pokémon came out of its shell. It seemed okay, other than the many bruises and scratches covering its shell from the impact of the powerful Grass-type attack. She turned to face Drew, a look of fierce determination on her face. "Blaziken, Sky Uppercut on the ground followed by a Blaze Kick in air aimed straight at Absol!"

Blaziken shot itself into the air, its foot becoming enveloped by flame as it flew straight at Absol. "Absol, Razor Wind on Blaziken!" Drew called as Absol's forehead began to glow once again.

"Wartortle, Ice Beam on Blaziken's flaming foot!" May countered. Wartortle shot a single beam in Blaziken's direction, encasing the flames in ice as Absol's Razor Wind struck Blaziken's foot. The crescent-shaped slashes shattered the ice, but the flaming foot remained, hitting Absol violently and knocking it back a few feet. May's points dropped from the Razor Wind, but not as much as Drew's had from the direct hit she'd made.

"Absol, are you alright?" Drew asked, to which Absol stood to its feet and grunted in reply. With less than two minutes to go and May in the lead, Drew needed to think of something, fast. The combos were what brought him down so much, he realized, so he had to come up with a counter combo. "Absol, use Water Pulse once more to create a tornado around Roserade!" Absol obeyed, surrounding its partner with walls of impenetrable water.

_What is Drew planning? _May wondered as she watched the tornado build around Roserade.

"Now, Roserade, use Magical Leaf in the tornado, followed by Petal Dance to climb out of the waves!" Roserade nodded, using its bouquets to shoot glowing leaves at the water surrounding it, causing the water itself to glow. It then followed up with Petal Dance, dropping petals as it danced its way to the top and rode the waves. "Okay, Absol, launch the tornado at your opponents!"

_So that's what he was planning! _May realized, but she was a moment too late. Absol hurled the tornado, viciously hitting both Wartortle and Blaziken head on. "Wartortle, Blaziken!" May screamed, mouth agape from the force of the combo. The Magical Leaf had powered up the Water Pulse so it would be super effective against both starter Pokémon, she noted.

The two Pokémon hadn't fainted, but she could tell that Blaziken barely had the strength to stand. She glanced at the scoreboard; the timer read forty-three seconds, and she watched as her points fell closer and closer to zero. Drew wasn't far behind, but it'd take one good combo to bring him even with her. And May wasn't about to go down without a fight.

"Blaziken, Fire Spin on Roserade, and Wartortle, surround it with your Water Gun attack!" Blaziken complied, shooting a spiral of flames straight for Roserade. Wartortle launched a stream of water to surround the stream of fire to create a similar combination she'd used with Dawn's Piplup not too long ago.

"Absol, Razor Wind to break the attack!" Drew commanded as Absol released a flurry of crescent-shaped slashes at the opponents' moves.

"Not so fast, Drew! Wartortle, protect the spiral with your Ice Beam attack!" May countered, watching as Wartortle froze the outside of the pillar of water and fire they'd created. The Razor Wind just bounced off the ice, which was indubitably about to make direct contact with Drew's Roserade.

"Roserade, try your Magical Leaf!" Drew shouted, but his attempt was futile. The ice pillar struck Roserade, shattering on contact to release the water and fire it had previously sealed away. Roserade was sent flying, landing painstakingly close to its own Coordinator. Drew looked up at the scoreboard and watched as his points were drained away. With five seconds to go, there wasn't much left to do but wait.

May also watched in anticipation, knowing that each point deducted brought her another step closer to the title of Top Coordinator. She pursed her lips, ogling at the screen ravenously as his score came closer and closer to dropping below hers. The time finally stopped, and with it, May's and Drew's hearts.

Neither could believe what they were seeing, especially not May. She felt her knees buckle underneath her and her mouth flung agape as tears sprung to her eyes. Drew stared at the screen in shock, unsure whether to shout or cry; either would've been suitable for the outcome they'd just witnessed.

"And it looks like we have a winner!" exclaimed Lilian Meridian, the host for Johto's Grand Festival. "What a shocking outcome! Congratulations to Drew Hayden, Johto's newest Top Coordinator!"

Ash, Misty, Max, and Brock stood there in awe, excited that a friend of theirs had won the Grand Festival, yet also disappointed that their best friend, sister, and traveling companion had lost. Blue and Red were thoroughly impressed by the battle, the former realizing there was much more technique and time put into the combinations and attacks he'd witnessed today than a standard Indigo Plateau battle required, and the latter wondering if one of the Coordinators could teach him a thing or two before he went home. Professor Birch was still too consumed by his own thoughts to have an opinion of the battle, though he was quite disheartened that May hadn't won.

But no one was more shocked than the Coordinator herself. After working so hard, to fall just a few points short of victory almost felt like a knife in her heart. In fact, said knife probably would've hurt far less. However, she refused to look weak in front of Drew. After drying the few tears that had defiantly escaped down her face, she rose to her feet and called her Pokémon back in their Poké Balls.

She then walked across the battlefield to come face to face with her grasshead rival, who almost looked like he would explode into a ball of confetti. As soon as he noticed her standing there, however, his expression changed from one of awe to one of arrogance, an expression she was all too used to seeing. "Well, well, June, guess this means I'm the winner of our little bet," he said, smirking down at the brunette.

For once, she actually didn't feel like fighting her grasshead rival; rather, she wanted to tell him how wonderful he performed and congratulate him for beating her in the end. So she did just that. "Congratulations, Drew. You deserved it," she told him, earning a somewhat confused look from the chartreuse-haired boy. He wasn't sure how to react to her sudden humility, and she could tell it left him speechless.

May gave him a weak smile, and before she even realized what she was doing, embraced him tightly, her head nestled against his chest as she breathed in his earthy scent of oak and pine. She looked up, staring straight into his emerald eyes, and almost thought he would kiss her. His lips were _so_ close, and she couldn't help but wonder what they must've felt like. But the moment never came. When she finally pulled away, she could just make out the hint of a smile gracing his lips and a light flush spread across his entire face, enough to let her know that the hug was appreciated, welcomed even.

However, the genuine smile left almost as soon as it had come, replaced by the indignant smirk she knew the grasshead for. "I suppose I'll let it slide this time," he told her, pulling out the Poké Ball with the Natu inside and tossing it to her. "Since you're being so nice all of a sudden."

May caught the proffered Poké Ball, raising an eyebrow at her rival as she answered, "But a deal's a deal, Drew. You made it farther than I did, so it should belong to you."

"Really? Last I checked we both made it to the finals, July. Just take it; you deserve it just as much as I do," he answered, winking, to which May blushed a fierce crimson in reply. "Oh, and May?"

May nodded, letting him know he had her full undivided attention. As he closed the small distance between them, she started to wonder why she suddenly felt so strange. The feeling wasn't altogether unenjoyable, but it made her stomach flutter with each step closer he got. _Tell me I'm not falling for this stupid grasshead,_ she thought, grimacing slightly. But she couldn't deny the feeling she got whenever he was around, even if they did fight ninety-nine percent of the time they were near each other.

As soon as he was close enough, he reached behind her ear and pulled out a rose, offering it to her like he always did after a contest. "Win or lose, I never fail to give my Beautifly a rose," he said, smiling as she plucked the flower from his hand and looked at it contentedly.

"Well, you can bet I'm gonna beat you next time, olive-brain!" she exclaimed, returning his smirk with one of her own as she turned to exit the stadium.

"We'll see about that," he said, returning his Pokémon and making his way to the very center of the stadium, where Mr. Contesta would soon present him with his trophy and title. He waved at the judges, who were still seated at the table to the right of the battlefield, and waited anxiously for the ceremony to begin, his thoughts quickly being occupied by May's beautiful appearance and amorous gaze.

* * *

**A/N: Truthfully, I've had this chapter done a while, but never seemed to find time to post it.:/ I apologize for the wait, but I do hope you've enjoyed reading this as much as I have writing it!:) And I have a question for all you Contest specialists: were the move combinations pretty plausible? And for the Contestshippers, was May's humility still pretty IC? As I said, never really got the chance to watch the Advanced Gen episodes, so I hope it was too OOC of the two of them... Anyways, I'd love to hear from you, so please, don't forget to leave a review!:D (Ha ha, I just )**


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